When things start to crack

When things crack, the light comes in. — Old Adage

In the past few months many of us have felt a lot of cracks. Everywhere. In ourselves, our homes, our relationships, our families, and in our lives. There’s nothing quite like a global pandemic and months of “quarantining” or “sheltering in place” to crack things open. It’s uncomfortable, these cracks forming. When things break, it hurts, it’s the natural order of things.

We tend to see this as a negative thing. Pain is bad. It is something to be avoided at all costs. But if eventually light will shine through those cracks, then perhaps there is another way to look at it?

Pain is uncomfortable, yes. It doesn’t feel good. Very often, however, when something breaks there is an opportunity for it to heal and be stronger. Before something cracks, it’s dark inside. Once it cracks, however, some light enters. The more it cracks, the more light is allowed to enter. And this light allows us to see things.

Let’s ponder this for a moment. We’ve all cracked in some way, we’ve all experienced some form of pain during this period of time. What has the light allowed you to see? What has that pain permitted you to learn? Is there opportunity in this new view, this new knowledge?

I can say that at least for me the answer is a resounding yes. This experience has shined light on dark places I didn’t realize were there, or that I was trying to remain dark and hidden so I wouldn’t have to look at them. I see them now. It hurts to see some of them, but now that I can see them, I can do something different. This experience has caused me pain, it’s been uncomfortable and I’ve wished desperately to escape. Through this pain, however, I’ve grown in many ways.

There is a belief that it is through pain that we grow, and some argue that we must experience pain in order to grow. The pain is a necessary part of the process. Much like that it is through the cracks that the light is permitted to shine. Without them, it would remain dark.

We, in many ways, are only at the beginning of this period of time that will bring many cracks and much pain for many of us. While none of us can see the future, we are already seeing spikes in cases of COVID-19 as states begin to reopen. Experts in infectious disease predict resurgences and possible periodic shut-downs to prevent spread. These trends may change, the experts may be wrong. And even if they are and COVID-19 ceases to be a problem, there will be something else, most likely not at a global level, most like much more personal and specific to each of us. But it will be there, it will cause a crack, it will bring pain. That is life. Life is filled with these things. Our current situation has made it more vivid, more intense, more obviously universal, but it did not create it. Life did, long before we had a global pandemic to force us to look at it.

Allow yourselves to crack, and to let the light in. Allow yourselves to experience the pain and to let it help you grow. Begin now to accept it, maybe even to embrace it as opportunity, and use it.

As hard as it is, it can help you become your best self.