secondhand certainty
February 16, 2014 § 4 Comments
Recently I read an intimate sharing, a young woman once familiar and now a stranger traversing a health scare with integrity and fearlessness. I happened upon her story accidentally, but I have returned intentionally in awe of her certainty.
In her words there is a vulnerability and genuineness, void of anger or self-pity her earliest writings have created an intention of strength and community. In sharing the uncomfortable pieces of her illness she has invited others to embrace her spirit as our own, fostering consciousness that demands accountability. We are at once witnesses and warriors connected by universal themes of fear and faith.
Her story is not mine to share, but her truths have created questions in my heart. What if we spoke our uncertainties? What if we lived without remorse, holding today above tomorrow and can beside maybe? What if we set aside discomfort for certainty? What if we didn’t wait for illness or tragedy to push us past the edge of caution?
I might never walk this woman’s path, but I am braver for her strength and stronger for her courage; welcoming my own uncertain wonderings with secondhand certainty.
scribblechic 
I’m so on the verge of sharing my most feared uncertainties. I’m pushing my boundaries in my own writing, but not quite there yet… to that place where I’d need more courage. I do think it would open up so much for me — finally sharing the dark stuff — so much peace and freedom. But I’m still just tiny bit scared of the consequences…
I, too, struggle with that leap into uncertainty; measuring the consequences and risk of harm. For me the danger lies less in what I share and more in the company of my audience. I often wonder what those who know me in the familiar space of my day might think could they see me here, in the nakedness of my thoughts. It is a terrifying fall when the distance is immeasurable. Still, a small voice whispers that we are better in our wholeness, inviting light between the broken pieces.
Me too. I’m also worried about the company of my audience — I’m not writing under a pseudonym, so everything I write may impact me or my loved ones. (Not to mention my future job opportunities, etc.)
The intimacy of my subject matter as it relates to thoughts and emotions centered in my experiences has created a heightened consciousness, an underscored responsibility to convey only my perspective respectfully least I harm another unintentionally. Of course there is no guarantee and this reality invites the very fear you speak of. Whatever you decide, I wish you well.