Great post, Dandylion!!! Thank you!!!
And this:
if it hurts, something is wrong and I must be doing the wrong thing!!
really hits a nerve with me -- on many levels.
We're a fast-moving society. We don't walk the five blocks to the video store and discuss with the owner what new movies he can recommend anymore -- we get recommendations from Netflix based on what we've watched and we can instantly get the movies... or order shoes... or groceries... online... I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but I do think you're right, that we're missing something. Time, space, and relationships. I'd add the third one because...
...because we're sort of more isolated now, too. And we need other people also -- to tell us it's going to be OK, to get perspective, to understand that others have gone through pain and suffering and come out the other side and thrived.