THE WORLD

Some days when I’m sitting in my office the world seems so far away. I can completely separate myself from all that is unpleasant or traumatic. In my world life is good and people are kind. Venturing out of my house I see real people and that opens up the possibility of seeing pain. On a recent trip to the grocery store a woman had passed out and needed an emt. As I glanced at the massive fire truck and ambulance my heart hurt for her. Her trip to the store was now ending very different than she had planned. For the past week I have thought about her and wondered how she was doing.

I have come to realize that hearing events on the news or even watching them on the television is not the same as seeing them in real life. Maybe it’s because we see so many actors portraying rolls where people are in pain as we causally eat popcorn or answer a ringing cell phone. We are totally immune to the human suffering because it isn’t real. The further we venture from our bubbles of security the greater the likelihood we will begin to feel and recognize the pain that is in the world.

Leaving the security of my home does pose risks but it also makes me more human for without the ability to connect with other humans I am nothing.

And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the

bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.

- Anais Nin