Living in a busy household with a lot of competing needs while working at a demanding job makes every day a marathon—a marathon being undertaken while juggling knives. My list of things to do each day is mythic, laughable, and bears little relationship to what actually gets done. I am the mediator of big feelings (for both the children and adults of this home), and as a result, my own feelings get stifled, squashed into the smallest possible space. I am desperate for time alone, time to breathe and think and process, but at the same time I have never been more lonely, more starved for substantive connection.
The Park of Overwhelm is huge and crowded with both human-made and natural objects. There are plenty of enticing things, but if you pay attention haphazardly, you may be in danger. Constant vigilance is required, leaving little time for rest or engagement. It's crowded, dangerous, noisy, frantic, exciting, sensual, rich, and stifling.
Anonymous, 44
Toronto, ON
This story is a selection from National Parks of Emotion, an evolving participatory art project documenting people’s emotional experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Writing edited by David Goldstein, photos edited by Mindy Stricke.