Speaking for myself, these last five or six years have been some of the toughest of my life. And I know for sure I am not alone. I've been hearing the same from friends, students, clients, family members, etc. So many folks have felt like the cluster f*ckery has just been never-ending at this point. Over these past few years, I definitely felt my heart draining of energy with loss after loss, and heartbreak after heartbreak, feeling like it might just one day stop working all together due to the non-stop pain and loss, both personally and on the grander scale.

That says a lot, given previous tough years in my lifetime have included dealing with cancer, a near-fatal car accident, multiple surgeries for various health issues, losses of loved ones, a difficult divorce and dealing with the ups and downs of being self-employed in a field that not everyone values or even understands. And these events took place in the past twenty years or so, so that doesn't even include childhood sh*t...and yet, there are plenty of folks that have been through and are going through worse, so I always try to keep in mind that even when things are the suckiest of sucking, there is always something worse.

Watching the news or scanning the day's headlines are a not-so-gentle reminder of the tough times many are enduring these days. While we don't want to spiritually bypass or avoid our difficult emotions, it's always good to keep perspective by honoring that a stubbed toe is not the same as a shattered femur, an argument with a loved one is not the same as seeing one's home and neighborhood being blown to smithereens in a war with a narcissistic mad man with no regard for life or freedom.

So personally, I do find reminding myself of perspective of my current situation and remembering other grander trials I have endured and somehow survived, and keeping in mind the heaviness that others are dealing with too. Because maybe it's not as bad as I think it is in the moment.

I do know that part of my journey is to share with others the pain I have experienced and how I have healed or recovered, or am in the process of healing and recovering. I thought writing about my own recent experiences of heartbreak might help others who have been dealing with the same thing. Especially with the ongoing pandemic and the political climate here in the U.S., for various reasons, many of us have experienced heartbreak and loss.