Revisiting previous posts that remain valid, important, and meaningful today for those of us on a grief journey.
Read moreBlog Retrospective #1
Shell from Irish Coast
I’ve been writing about my loss and my emotional response to among a bunch of other pieces and posts. I am taking a look back because perspective is everything.
Read moreSchoolPulse and Volunteering
The goal of SchoolPulse is to boost the emotional wellbeing , individual awareness, and social competency of every student. This is done by texting them videos, podcasts, surveys, memes, SEL focused message a few times a week. Texting works. We know that especially with teens.
Read moreThe Venn of Isolation, Loneliness, and Me
Ashes Maine
“We do not know how long we have to be lonely or isolated, or how severe this must be for us to have lasting negative consequences.” Senate Special Committee on Aging June 2020
Read moreTime to Look Deeper Into My Grief: Part 2
Donna in Rome
We must to tell our stories not only for our own wellbeing and knowledge. We must share our stories to help others facing grief and mourning during and beyond our pandemic reality.
Read moreThe Fork In Road For My Grief Journey
As the world began to slowly opened up from the devastation of our collective pandemic life it became crystal clear the crushing effect of my isolation and grief for 16 months. I could not help to think this is similar to being boiled like a frog on a low simmer. Finally, I was done. Skin as raw as my emotions. My drive to create, build, and do was simply floating lifeless in the pot. Simmering.
Random acts of discovery or perhaps a divine intervention. A podcast that I am very fond of To The Best of Our Knowledge appeared in my peripheral life .
Read moreThis Is Interesting #30
5 Types of Grief, The Impact of Grief, The Pandemic and Teens Mental Health, Teens anxiety and returning to normal, and Learning to Live Without a Loved One. A look at these interesting and valuable articles.
Read moreSchool Pulse My New Volunteer Jam
Coming from the world of medical education and clinical trials I tend to lean into long-term outcomes that are durable, meaning someone is supported over time with purpose and meaning. Crisis intervention saves lives and nothing is more important. SchoolPulse can save lives and help support lives over time.
Read moreGrief Sucks & Sucks the Life Out of Us
Grief sucks. Just sucks. There’s data. Excellent clinical data that not only sucks the emotional life out of us. It sucks the actual life out of us in very biological ways. This post is my reading of an article by Ann Finkbeiner in the New York Times “What Happens in the Body During Grief”.
Read moreThe Chaos of Grief Calmed By Memories
Memories are how we learn. As we age our experience grows largely through our memories. Adults learn from experiences which become memories. New and meaningful experiences (i.e. memories) are integrated it into our consciousness. The more meaningful the experience the more deeply it is embedded into our memories.
Read moreThis is Interesting #28
Three pieces worthy of reading 1. Alan Watts on Love It’s an act of faith a gamble 2. Memories & Grief A quick hit on a brilliant piece Our past our future linked even in loss 3. Pandemic Grief Scale So troubling our future grief pandemic
Read moreDiscovering My Grief Voice
It was joining HYWC that some profound changes/discoveries began.
I discovered I was not alone in my grief. Though writing and reading about the grief I knew I learned we all grieve and grieve differently. We are all in pain. We all want to share our story. Being among these HYWC wids I discovered. A brilliance of our shared grief. The Venn of our pain and hurt. How we all can learn, grow, and support others grieving.
Read moreNormal People, Remembering What Love Felt Like
Donna & Me Bonaire
This post is my visceral grief imbibed cleansing of my emotional palate after watching Normal People. There is the art of Normal People. Each shot, the framing, the lighting, the music, the facial expressions of the actors/actresses, and so much more.
Read moreVolunteering: The Year That Was
On March 5, 2020 at 2pm I logged on to the Crisis Text Line platform to take my first shift. A baby chick. A Level Zero. At 4pm on that day I ended my first shift as a Level 1 and nearly vomited. Walked to get dinner on shaking legs. Thus began my year as a Crisis Text Line Volunteer Crisis Counselor.
Read moreMy Grief: Devoured From Within Devoured From Without
Barcelona
This grief, my grief, occupies a vault within me. A compartment connected to all the other compartments in my mind and heart. This compartment leaks like a thatched roof in a monsoon memories to all parts of me. Around me the world at large. The world outside of the within me is my life as I know it. It's the outside compartments with less grief. More life sans meaning & purpose for me. This outside world devours me as well and has an equal effect on me as the grief within me.
Read moreA Love Song for Nora & Moe
The fiercest grief warriors you’ll meet Moe & Nora
Nora and Moe created a space a place where grief and loss and pain can thrive. Grief can have a life beyond the crushing sense of loss where it pulls relentless at you and breaks your every moment. Nora and Moe have taken grief out of the darkness and allowed it to be shared in a way that I and others have learned to live with it.
Read moreThis is Interesting #27
Escher-Eye
Three quick references on grief. How to navigate being stuck, broken, and unmotivated after a loss. The death of a colleague can be devastating for all some great tips to help everyone. Amazing list of online support groups when you’re grieving.
Read moreStaying In My Grief Lane (aka Serenity Prayer)
There is that specter of hubris that chases me with relentless inquiries “Will you dance with me?” I won’t. Not because I’m smarter and more self actualized about all the psycho shit in my head. I just know I’m not worthy of hubris or self-actualized feels that says I am good either in my head or out loud.
Read moreGrief is A Möbius Strip
Loving myself has always been the bur under the saddle of self-worth. It was there poking at me and making my ride forward problematic. It was largely kept in check though sheer will and that I didn’t have to look at myself in relation to others. That damn do I measure up syndrome. Thank you the pandemic and isolation.
Read moreAnimating My Grief Like a Pixar Film
There exists a ‘grief illiteracy’ in our collective lives. I would say with 20/20 hindsight the grief has animated my sense of loss which is new, a deeper understanding of Donna and what love is, the sincere wish I could share what I am learning and doing with others in the same state of shit.
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