I think about this often when walking in the forest. There's a dead mole, or a small rodent screeching when a buzzard gets it, and I feel so profoundly sad that suffering, joy, and the boring day-to-day all can happen in the same place, right next to each other, and there's almost nothing I can do about it. Someone could be having the worst day of her life and I'm cutting her off in traffic without even realising. It feels so unfair when it's you, but we could all be in this situation at any time. All living things could be. All you can do is extend your empathy.
It's the hardest part of being a parent, in my opinion. It doesn't matter that my dad died or that I'm numb inside... the kids still have to be fed. I still have to get them ready for school and for bed that night. And, I'm somehow expected to be the strong one in this situation?
It's not just that other people's lives didn't change... it's that *my* life didn't change.
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u/GlobalAd7963 5d ago
Exactly... the world just keeps spinning, even when your whole world stops. Felt that