- by Matt Baker

After staggering through the abyss of darkness for what feels like a life time, I collapsed into the cold, moss covered, and damp trunk of am immense black tree in the thick forest. Screaming at myself to get up and keep going, I manage to get my feet underneath me and turned a corner and I saw light. Gathering every ounce of energy I had left, I fight my way to the light.

It’s a home. It is a beautiful, safe and well built structure with a loving family inside all sitting together around the table playing a game laughing.
Still completely enveloped by the darkness the family can't see me standing there, watching them.

I can see them as clearly as though I was sitting at the table with them. I can almost feel the warmth of their fire. Feel the safety of their smiles and their love for one another. I can see everything that happens in the light, but I will never know it. Never Truly experience it.

There is a moment when one of them looks out the window as I’m peering through; I think maybe this is it. They will see me in this crushing abyss of empty darkness and they will finally see me clearly, understand, and help me, in the exact same way I can see into their light. Using my last ounce of hope I feebly smile and wave.

But one of the most cruel truths of this world is that those standing, drowned out by the darkness have the ability to see into the light, but those in the warmth and security of the light seem to never be able to peer into the darkness.

As the covid lock down begins to drown many of us in isolation, and accelerates the spread of that overwhelming weight that is beginning to cripple portions of our population in a manner we've never experienced before, can we please shine a light on each other.

So many of us are barely still standing. Overwhelmed by the weight of this darkness. Exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally. Completely immersed by the abyss of depression, illness, isolation, self loathing, and/or so much more. This darkness is impenetrable... only if we choose to turn a blind eye to it.

Please take care of each other.  Be the one standing in the warmth of the light, who cares enough to see into the darkness and brings someone in from the dark hopelessness that’s becoming a reality for so many.

And if you’re still out there, lost and completely exhausted in that abyss... just know, so am I. We can do this together.

Darkness doesn’t exist, it is merely the absences of light!