tarrion – n. an odd interval of blankness you feel after something big happens to you bt before you feel the resulting emotional reaction – stunned by a sudden loss, a stroke of luck, or an unexpected visitor – like those tension-filled seconds between a flash of lightning and the thunderclap that follows..
I don’t have a lot of big things happening in my life. No great joys, but not great sorrows (usually). However, I know I’ve had this a few times. I had one last year, which I don’t want to disclose, but I got some news and I missed the next few sentences. I was stunned, and didn’t know how to react. A few seconds later the emotion hit me.
This seems like a very common reaction to big news, and while I appreciate the excitement for some things, I’m glad I don’t feel tarrion too often with sad news.
From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows