Filling a Void
Today I am grateful for the Hastings Breast Cancer Support Group and my friends there. I am also grateful for my co-workers and the friends I count among them.
Void jumped out at me as I moved through words that start with a "v" in my dictionary.
Void-not occupied, vacant, containing nothing, being without
The word void first takes me to the thought of the void in my life that I used to fill with alcohol. That void wasn't as much a vacancy as a being without. I was without self-esteem or emotional health. I was without a clear identity. Add alcohol and the dis-ease becomes bearable for a time. In early recovery, the void remained and I didn't do what I needed to do, so instead of alcohol, I started filling the void with work. Way too much work. Not that workaholic is a clinical term, but I can tell you I was one. Now I try to do what I need to do and the void has been filled with healthier things like faith, direction, confidence, trust, openmindedness, willingness, gratitude, self-care and much more.
But as I think about the word void today, at holiday time, I feel for those who have a void left by the loss of loved ones this year. Those voids are real and may or may not ever be filled again. There are many ways to look at it, but I hope for healthy grieving and hopeful healing for those facing such a void, including so many devastated families in Newtown, CT.
And I end on this encouraging note. Gratitude is a void-filler of extraordinary value. It helps me focus on what I do have, thereby filling the void. Instead of focusing on what I don't have, which only serves to widen the void.
Void jumped out at me as I moved through words that start with a "v" in my dictionary.
Void-not occupied, vacant, containing nothing, being without
The word void first takes me to the thought of the void in my life that I used to fill with alcohol. That void wasn't as much a vacancy as a being without. I was without self-esteem or emotional health. I was without a clear identity. Add alcohol and the dis-ease becomes bearable for a time. In early recovery, the void remained and I didn't do what I needed to do, so instead of alcohol, I started filling the void with work. Way too much work. Not that workaholic is a clinical term, but I can tell you I was one. Now I try to do what I need to do and the void has been filled with healthier things like faith, direction, confidence, trust, openmindedness, willingness, gratitude, self-care and much more.
But as I think about the word void today, at holiday time, I feel for those who have a void left by the loss of loved ones this year. Those voids are real and may or may not ever be filled again. There are many ways to look at it, but I hope for healthy grieving and hopeful healing for those facing such a void, including so many devastated families in Newtown, CT.
And I end on this encouraging note. Gratitude is a void-filler of extraordinary value. It helps me focus on what I do have, thereby filling the void. Instead of focusing on what I don't have, which only serves to widen the void.
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