Empty Doesn’t Mean Broken - Issue#16
Like the moon, every phase has a purpose
We’ve all seen that one inspirational poster in a dentist’s waiting room or a particularly “zen” aunt’s hallway. It’s usually a high-definition photo of the moon hanging over a silent lake, with a caption that tells us we must embrace our phases of emptiness to feel full again. It sounds lovely, doesn’t it? It’s the kind of sentiment that makes you want to buy a Himalayan salt lamp and start journaling about your “inner tides”.
But let’s be real for a second. When you’re actually sitting in the “empty” phase, it doesn’t feel like a majestic celestial transition. It feels like someone accidentally unplugged your personality, and you’re just sitting there in the dark, wondering if you left the oven on or if this is just who you are now. One day you’re the life of the party, cracking jokes and feeling like a high-definition, 4K version of yourself, and the next, you have the emotional range of a damp sponge.
The Art of Being a Ghost
There is a specific kind of social panic that sets in when the “full moon” energy starts to wane. We live in a world that demands constant, neon-bright output. If you aren’t “crushing it” or “living your best life,” people start asking if you’re sick or if you’ve joined a cult. But humans aren’t meant to be light bulbs that stay on until they pop. We’re more like those old-school rechargeable batteries that need to hit zero percent before they can actually hold a decent charge again.
Being empty isn’t a defect; it’s a biological requirement. It’s that weird, quiet week when your jokes don’t land, your favorite songs sound like static, and the most productive thing you do is successfully match your socks. We try to fight it by over-caffeinating or forcing ourselves to be “on,” but you can’t fake a lunar phase. You can’t tell the moon to hurry up and be rounder just because you have a brunch scheduled on Saturday.
The Beauty of the Void
The deep part, the part that actually matters, is realizing that the emptiness is where the new stuff gets built. When the moon is a sliver, it is not gone; it is just repositioning. It is the same for us. Those moments when we feel hollow are actually just the quiet intervals between the person we were and the person we are becoming. If we were full all the time, there would be no room for a new perspective, a better punchline, or a fresh obsession with 14th-century pottery.
If you’re currently in your “New Moon” phase, don’t stress. You aren’t broken, and you haven’t lost your spark. You’re just dimming the lights so you can do some internal renovations without the neighbors looking in. Give yourself permission to be a little bit boring, a little bit quiet, and a little bit empty. The fullness is coming back, and when it does, you’ll be glad you didn’t burn out trying to glow in the dark.
Wishing everyone a lovely and restful weekend.
Until next time!
Love,
Chris🫶🏼
Oh wow this one hits. Thank you for sharing this 💕 enjoy your weekend!
Oh I like that. Not lazy or irrelevant. New moon phase. Keeping that one close.