The Aftermath of an Accomplishment
Erin McKeown had an essay that spoke so deeply to my heart about the aftermath of an accomplishment, something I’m staring down in a few weeks. In some ways, the twins are an accomplishment, even though their success shifted from our efforts to their own years ago. But it’s the thing I’m most proud of — more than work, books, or other things. I’ve gotten two people ready for the world; others find them kind and helpful.
She couches the discussion on work accomplishments, of which she has many. She writes:
Yes, these things are shiny and awesome, but that’s exactly the problem. They are so extremely shiny and awesome that now they are done, that I didn’t get the jobs, they leave a shiny and awesome void, an emptiness not just on my calendar, which had been packed for the last 10 months, but in my artistic practice, also known as, my soul.
“A shiny and awesome void.” How perfect is that?
I am scared of the quiet periods. The quiet periods in work, the quiet periods in relationships, and now this quiet period of parenthood. I know what to do in the active portion of life. The loud portion. But I don’t know what to do with myself during these quiet periods.
1 comment
Well, I can certainly relate to that. What to do in the void – expected or unexpected. The answer is you’ll figure it out. There’s no rush. There’s no need to fill the void with anything. In fact, I think there’s a danger in rushing to do that.
And can I say that this sentence is beautiful and perfect, and sums up the role of a parent – “I’ve gotten two people ready for the world; others find them kind and helpful.”