Zielschmerz

Zielschmerz

n. the exhilarating dread of finally pursuing a lifelong dream, which requires you to put your true abilities out there to be tested on the open savannah, no longer protected inside the terrarium of hopes and delusions that you created in kindergarten and kept sealed as long as you could, only to break in case of emergency.

Have you ever felt this way? A feeling of expectation and dread all wrapped up into one? It can feel like a dark road through a dense forest, right?! That unknown journey into the future to pursue a dream and to channel your gifts in various ways that are sure to be challenged and questioned along the way.

I’ve been feeling this sense of zielschmerz as I slowly learn how to share my art voice with the world. The feeling of exhilaration and dread—I didn’t know there was the word for it until I found this precious little “Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” in a bookshop in Michigan during our vacation. This book is jammed packed with new names for feelings and emotions we are all bound to have that never had a name— until now!

So when you feel the zielscherz of life, here’s an image to help you remember that feeling of zeal and dread all wrapped up into one. Dark and ominous; yet full of possibilities.

Here is a little peek deeper into John Koenig’s book. Where you can find more beautiful words that help bring a deeper meaning to our humanity.