162. On Rebuilding – Erin Khar
Something that has given me comfort during all of this uncertainty is that I have rebuilt my life again and again.
In the past eighteen months, in the thick of a rolling pandemic, a collective anxiety has emerged around how we are going to rebuild our lives in the aftermath. There is a not-so-distinct before and after, because we have been moving forward in fits and starts. It can feel overwhelming to imagine what the “new normal” is becoming and when it will be here.
Something that has given me comfort during all of this uncertainty is that I have rebuilt my life again and again. I have had to define my life in multiple befores and afters, and it’s given me faith, in myself, in my ability to survive, and that things will feel good again.
In my memoir, Strung Out, I focused on my years of active drug use, of the psychology behind my addiction, and how my recovery unfolded, allowing me to piece my life back together. When I was in early recovery, I didn’t realize that I’d continue that rebuilding process—that before and after—again and again, in the face of other failures and traumas and disappointments.
I like to play with this idea of rebuilding when I write, especially when writing from a fictional character’s point of view—how would they rebuild their relationship, their day, their home, their life?
– Erin Khar
