Friday, January 1, 2021

"In a Fishbowl"


            Months ago I stepped out of my busy life and entered a protected zone. I had no responsibility beyond staying home and staying well. For the first time in my life, I found myself pausing in place—in a fishbowl.

            I had plenty of food. My light was filtered and gentle. The water was clear and clean. I felt safe, secure and sheltered. This illusion drew me into complacency. The glass distorted my worldview and left me floating without danger while the world beyond me crashed and burned.

            Within my fishbowl, I drifted through the days, my vision focused on the tragedies and losses playing out beyond my transparent shield. It was easy to lull myself into a false serenity that one day, life’s normalcy would return.

            Going back, though, to “before” is self-deception. I’ve learned that once I leave this insulated world, I will need to find new and different goals for myself.

 

Copyright 2021 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman




           

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