Mind The Gap

Sometimes, there appears within one's life a certain sense that something is missing - there is a nameless, formless emptiness of which one suddenly becomes aware.  One wonders:  how long has that been there?  Why did I just notice it now?  And, above all, what is it?

Identifying the shape and size of such a Gap can be tricky.  Determining what fits into a Gap can be even more difficult.  Assessing whether a Gap needs be filled, or must remain empty, is the hardest of all. 

Circumstances oftentimes contribute to the emergence of a Gap.  When one has the sensation of treading water in one's life, a Gap tends to arise.  If one is hoping for a change or is awaiting news that might alter the path into the future, the resultant anticipation can also open a Gap. These Gaps require patience. Time, and Change (either incremental or larger), can usually fill such a Gap; sometimes, even merely acknowledging that such a Gap exists is sufficient to cause it to fold in upon itself and disappear.

Sometimes, a Gap opens unexpectedly - a sliver of crescent moon, slung low in the sky, pokes a hole in the fabric of the night.  That species of Gap is most accurately described with the German word, sehnsucht:  that inconsolable longing in the human heart for we know not what. The sehnsucht Gap is a rift that exposes the very core of the human condition and provides a glimpse into the eternity of the Universe.  Such a sehnsucht Gap is usually best experienced as the yearning and emptiness that it is, for it cannot truly be filled.

Once in a while, an emptiness appears that is not actually a Gap, but rather, is a Void.  Voids are perilous.  One can easily fall into a Void, and it can be arduous to climb out again.  How can one differentiate a Void from a Gap?  A Gap is a noticeable space situated among all the other pieces of one's life -- an absence which will eventually be altered or filled as one walks along life's path.  A Void, in contrast, is a presence -- it is the black hole lair of a creature that envelops everything near it, until it consumes all that one can see. 

What to do when it turns out that an emptiness that one assumed was a merely a Gap is, in fact, a Void?  Do not be afraid.  Voids happen.  We have talked about them before.  Acknowledge the Void, and Name the creature of the Void, for the Naming itself can tame the beast of the Void before it consumes one.  

Sometimes, one cannot escape the pull of the Void.  If one finds oneself within a Void, a good strategy is to Own the creature of the Void. Allow it to howl and rage. Console it, for it is a wounded, angry animal. Embrace it, and the beast will be quieted and lay down to rest. 

Sometimes, it is easier to observe the Gaps, experience the sehnsucht Gaps, and tackle the Voids by oneself.  Other times, companionship is helpful, or even necessary. Remember always, my stalwart Readers, that should you wish for company, I am here to mind the Gaps with you.  And should you fall into a Void, know that if you so desire, I will sit with you in the Void and sing soft lullabies until the beast sleeps.