“In
the midst of change we often discover wings we never
knew
we had.” – Ekaterina Walter
 |
| Photo by Rick Hustead |
Less than one week ago, an alleged obsessed fan shot and killed a
talented young singer named Christina
Grimmie at meet-and-greet following
her concert in Orlando, Florida. In the early hours of Sunday, June 12, a man armed
with a high-caliber machine gun burst into Pulse Night Club, also
located in Orlando, and opened fire. Forty-nine guests died at the scene;
fifty-three more were transported to local hospitals, some in critical or even
grave condition. President
Obama swiftly decried the shooting as a terrorist attack as well as a hate
crime. And then, yesterday evening, an alligator
attack claimed the life of a young child vacationing with his family at a
resort in Disney World, Orlando. Apparently, the reptile grabbed and dragged the
two-year-old boy into a lake where he had been wading. Despite their herculean
efforts, his parents were unable to wrestle the child out of its grasp; the authorities
reportedly found his body earlier today.
There are so many different situations that require us to change not
only an attitude or belief system, but our very way of life. It’s not an
impossible thing to do, but at the moment tragedy strikes, it certainly seems
that way. How do we go on after something like that?
Grief
comes in many different forms, and each one of us grieves and mourns in
different ways for the loss we have experienced. There is no time limit or
restriction when it comes to feeling sadness, anger/rage or even in disbelief
about the specific tragedy we have experienced. These emotions can feel
overwhelming and often come in waves (versus “stages”). In one moment we laugh
while we think about the special, loving, fun times with the person who has
died; in the next, we can’t stop sobbing, inconsolable.
But it also at times like this that we usually discover, eventually,
inner resources to keep on going, keep on living and keep on loving. With the
love and support of other friends, relatives and social resources, we re-discover
that source of inner strength we forgot we always had, the one that helped us
get through a previous challenge or loss. Sometimes, it feels like learning how
to walk for the first time: step by step, one foot in front of the other. Baby
steps. And then, one day, we wake up and experience maybe one moment, an hour,
or just a few seconds of optimism about something in our lives. It may not be
complete happiness or joy, but just a flash of brightness—a sensation of lightness—that reminds us that those
other, positive, long-forgotten emotions are still possible.
Maybe not today or even tomorrow, but someday. And on days like these, that
possibility is cause for hope and even motivation to take those steps.
In a final note, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the
victims, survivors and family members and friends of these recent tragedies. These
senseless and tragic losses of life will not be forgotten.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified
hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors
from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in 2005. For more
information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an
appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2016
