“There is no knowing darkness without the light and no knowing light without the darkness.”
Lately, life has visited ever increasing challenges to navigate. Where I reside, excursions out have become increasingly restricted for over a year now. It’s brought me to a place of routinely grieving losses that have occurred and are continuing to occur, both within my personal life and all over the world for everyone. These experiences are the inspiration for this post.
So, I’m going to take you on a shadowy walk with me to an eerie place that is one of my favourite haunts. Like an old friend, it’s always waiting around the corner for me.
Each visit opens me up to new visions that I have not previously seen or experienced. This enlightens my path and reminds me that I have one foot in this world and one foot out.
As I walked through the cemetery, I noticed the increased number of people now using it as a park and a way to be outside, while still under heavy restrictions of movement. Since I have also been going for regular walks there and comparing how it was before, it is obvious that people are grasping for any respite, even if it means walking among the dead. At least this year, people have stopped staring at each other as if any contact, no matter how distant, is instant death, such as the way it was last year at this time.
It’s the new normal to constantly hear about death, think about death and be utterly terrified of death on an extremely elevated level. Seeing so many people choosing to spend time in a cemetery as an enjoyable outing was incredibly ironic to me. No one ever wants to ponder that inevitable aspect that goes with life, DEATH. At least, this is what I have encountered with people for years.
In my way of perceiving the world, any time there is an opportunity to explore the shadow of death is an opportunity to be taken. In the present time, most especially, it is crucial in order to resolve one’s fear, accept the temporary nature of life, be fully present and live life to the fullest, regardless of one’s circumstances. Avoiding fear of the inevitable translates into allowing fear to rule one’s way of thinking, one’s choices, one’s life, and is a cage of one’s own creation.
CURLY GATES I
@manouche for inspiring me to use my own quote in a post with photos.
@ocd's contest highlighting the 
@shadowhunters community. The contest requires the participant to post a minimum of 3 shadow-focused images that explain their daily lives in at least 250 words.