The Trauma of Eventlessness
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Someone once told me I was an expert in navigating life transitions. I didn't take it as a compliment. It was an observation about how many times I'd had to start over. That's where this book begins. Most of my working life in Asia was contract work — good jobs at hotels and retreat centers and then, on a fixed date, no job at all. Each time I landed in the same place: a wide-open void, and no idea what came next. I've been reading one of Gloria Steinem's memoirs, and she mentions a term I'd never encountered: the trauma of eventlessness. It came from a study of women in the 1950s who had breakdowns because nothing was happening in their lives. The trauma isn't obvious, because there's no event to point at. That's exactly the point. I recognized it immediately. Through my mid-forties and early fifties I hadn't met a partner, and the absence itself was the injury. There was nNothing to grieve, nothing to fi--jJust a space where somethingmightd have been The Art of Embracing Change is about what to do with that space. I talked through the whole backstory in a live session on Substack last week — where the book came from, the nine stages it's built on, and why it feels timely now. Watch the conversation here:The Kickstarter runs through October 15.
warmly, Kim P.S. I've added a new reward tier — my six-part Yoga Nidra for Healing and Transformation online retreat. It's delivered online, so it's available wherever you are. |
Kim Roberts Art
It's here. My Kickstarter campaign for The Art of Embracing Change: On Creativity, Contemplation, and Midlife Transformation is now live. Sixty short essays, journaling prompts, and an unexpected map for a second (or third) act: the nine stages of making a painting. Your pledge funds the printing; the book publishes in January. The first few days of a campaign matter most. Early backers help create momentum, carrying the campaign to readers who don’t know me yet. Back the book on Kickstarter...
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hi! In the post-Christmas week, it sometimes feels easy to get lost. It's the kind of week that invites reflection, and contemplation, and possibly judgement. Mind wanders to questions like: What just happened? Did I accomplish anything of meaning? Did I grow? Did I regress? How do I ditch what's no longer working, and find a way forward that feels right? If you are also asking these kinds of questions, consider joining the 5 Day End of Year Journaling Challenge. Sangre de Cristo #7, ink on...