Black Holes of Chronic Illness

Black holes suck us in, spin us around, and spit us out into outer space, the unknown wasteland. A scary sad dark place to be. The vacuum of nothingness can be replaced with great hope and wellbeing. Not saying it is easy but it is doable.

I have always wondered about dark holes. How did they get there? Who made them? Where do they take us if we get sucked in? Where do they spit us out after the ride? Can they be avoided?

NASA certainly has more of those answers about black holes than I do.

What I know about are the black holes of chronic illness.

• Black hole of depression
• Black hole of anxiety
• Black hole of isolation
• Black hole of loneliness
• Black hole of intense decision making
• Black hole of pain
• Black hole of loss
• Black hole of contradictions
• Black hole of medical norms
• Black hole of Internet — too much info
• Black hole of abandonment
• Black hole of cultural norms
• Black hole of coming to terms with our mortality

You get the picture. While we are chronically ill, we can get sucked into many black holes. We can get lost in there for a while, chewed up and spit out the other side not really knowing which side is up.

Sometimes it simply helps to ease the mind by knowing that there will be a black hole ride while chronically ill. There will be tons of issues, lots of questions, fewer answers and then there will be light.

No two people have the same journey. No two people have the exact same set of circumstances. We all have different backgrounds, tolerances, genetics, and even different wills to live.

As we settle into the healing journey, we can discover more of our character. It actually gets revealed in a way that no other experience can unravel.

We can grow from the highs and the lows. We can practice being brave through the scary times and we can find an abundance of joy in the little things that otherwise would seem meaningless.

Through the experience of chronic illness we can learn to stand up for ourselves more effectively. Or maybe you are one who learns to lean on others more than you have in the past. We can learn to fight for ourselves and we learn stand on our own two feet, no matter how sick we are.

Chronic illness really can be an amazing ride. It can take us to the places we are meant to be. There is plenty to complain about but when we discover the nuggets of joy, truth, bravery, courage and self-worth, the journey is well worth it.

Nope, would never wish it on anyone. But here we are. We are now a global society of more chronically ill people than ever. Let’s make the best out of a bad situation!!