We all have a shelter to protect us from the storm

Zafón points out in his book “The Labyrinth of Spirits” that “Anyone who aspires to maintain their sanity needs a place in the world where they can and want to lose themselves.“. Furthermore, he describes this last refuge, this last place of safety as “a small annex of the soul to which, when the world capsizes in its absurd comedy, one can always run to hide and lose the key.”

This reflection, partly true and partly not, does leave us with an idea to think about. On the one hand it seems that We all have that retreat corner or security space where we feel more protected.. It can be a physical place, a place in our mind or a combination of both; in which there are objects, but also memories and illusions.

It is a place that we have walked around with very few people and in which no one has entered. In it we keep those dreams that we have shared with very few people, but also those that we have not shared with anyone; The same thing happens with dreams or with sources of pain.

Alicia Gris – the enigmatic protagonist of “The Labyrinth of Spirits” – is an almost perpetual resident of this refuge and at the same time she is a resident who is unaware of a large part of the content that is in it. Very little comes out of that refuge, so her eyes are too tired to distinguish the shape of what surrounds her and identify what defines her and is in that same corner. Therefore, behind her layer of security hides the portrait of an insecure character, like many people of flesh and fire.

What do we keep in our shelter?

We keep the smell of the people who have helped us, with a very special memory for those who do it every day and for those who did it for no reason other than to make us feel good. We also keep those handholds that we cling to in the worst moments and small trophies, fruits of what we experience as our best triumphs. With us are the people who died, who we miss very much and can no longer play.

Here are also those dreams that we left on the shelf when we grew up. Some dreams in which our footprints are marked as proof that there have been moments when we have had them in our hands again, but also as proof that we have not taken them back. “Unspeakable fantasies” are also piled up mixed with “unspeakable half-way fantasies”, among which many keep the idea of ​​leaving everything and starting to live.

We also keep our fears, our most fragile and vulnerable part. Those to whom we have given words but from whom fear continues to arise; those that we only intuit, but that we do not dare to uncover because we are terrified of the idea of ​​​​discovering what is really underneath.

We also keep memories of situations in which we gave our worst version.. Also one of those in which we surpass ourselves by which, when holding them again in our consciousness, we wonder how the hell we were able to do it being only a grain of sand in the universe.

In this refuge the feeling of immensity is mixed for occupying with our consciousness a good part of our self, related to the fact that we are unrepeatable, but also a feeling of dwarfism because of how little we are compared to the immensity of the universe, related to the fact that we are replaceable.

It is a refuge for passage, not for stay

Too much time in this refuge fills our eyes with a sea of ​​barely navigable nostalgia.. It also makes us part of the past and the future, completely eliminating the present in which our senses move. People who live in this place for a long time spend the day on autopilot and project a sense of absence and distance onto others.

In fact, everything positive that is placed on the shelves or stacked on the floor, next to the fireplace, begins to give off an aroma of sadness. It is also then when our interior completely detaches itself from the image we project., because the more time we spend in this place, the more difficult it is for no one to come near. The others move further and further away.

Well, then what can we do so that this refuge does not flood us with negative emotions?

Don’t disconnect from what’s happening around you. If you want, spend a few days without reading the news or watching the news, but don’t cut ties with the people who love you.If you don’t feel understood, seek to be understood and don’t walk away. From a distance, that feeling of incomprehension can only increase.Always have small to short-term goals. Modulate them depending on your stress tolerance, but always maintain at least one project that can provide you with satisfaction.Be aware of where you are, not only physically but also mentally. When you enter this shelter, note the moment and don’t let it go too long without leaving. Balance the time you spend alone and in company.

As we have seen, this refuge can save us on many occasions but on other occasions it can become the worst trap we could fall into. My recommendation is that you enjoy it to the fullest when you are there but don’t end up reducing your life to what is between four walls, whether real or imaginary.

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