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susie bower's avatar

Thank you. This came at exactly the time I too am aware of my own fear of emptiness, and how I've been filling it with this - the internet. Last year I stepped away from it for several months. It wasn't easy, but into that 'emptiness' came the idea of a new book. In the creative arena, I believe that the completion - the ending - of a project actively needs the acceptance/experience of the emptiness. That the emptiness is a vital part of the creative cycle. Like ground left fallow can recover and become rich again. But oh, it's hard... I wish you all happiness in your new house, and that it will in time become a true home.

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Jeannie Ewing's avatar

Alex, this is such a well crafted essay. So much can be said about emptiness, and you gave us excellent examples of what that might look like in a spiritual, physical, and emotional sense.

I think about emptiness often, for a number of reasons. But one of them is that I don't like any kind of clutter. I can't breathe deeply or ease into anything - or be fully present - when I'm constantly bombarded with stuff or things to do.

And that's tough, given the fact that I'm raising five kids. My husband Ben does a lot and we share our caregiving role, but still. It's a lot, even for two people.

Silence is a sort of embrace for me. I feel open and ready to receive whatever comes my way when I am given the space that silence offers. Seldom do I feel restless in solitude like many people (sadly) seem to when they reach for their devices. In solitude I feel satisfied, content. I am coming home to myself and that means I am more energized to be receptive to the ways my particular gifts may be called into being today.

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