Excellent points about living through trauma! You’re quite right — we tend to see these events as “special” but everyone goes through them, whether it’s the sickness or death of parents, financial difficulties, or weather problems. I like the way you also mention “empathetic trauma” when we see friends and other family members go through the problems, too. That’s a really good point. All fodder for the act of writing.

Our lives are full of these events; they’re part of being alive. The trauma of living through them is part of our development. And the empathic trauma we experience when our friends go through them is part of ours. I’ve experienced both kinds.

As a writer in training, I plan to weave all of these events into my writing eventually. Thank you for your great posts. I really look forward to them.