A Silver Lining

Last week after my first grief counseling session, I wrote a blog post about the emotions I had been experiencing the past year and a half. That next day I had five people reach out to me about similar situations they were going through themselves. I certainly don’t want to imply that I have any answers or even knowledge on how to deal with the circumstances that life throws at us, but it made me feel so great to know that maybe my blog helped a few people realize they are not alone in their journey.

I know most of my blog posts lately have revolved around the past year or so and how it has affected me. However, lately I’ve come to realize the silver lining. In my grief class last week, the instructor told us that we are now part of a club that nobody wants to be a member of. Unfortunately, there are a lot of members. But what you gain in this club is the desire and ability to be empathetic to others who are struggling.

Another thing I discovered after my last blog post is that grief, loss and transition is not always the result of physically losing someone you love. It comes in many different shapes and forms. The loss of a job, a divorce, an illness, a broken friendship, etc. are all transitions that can bring out emotions in people. With the ability to cover our hurt with filtered photos, status updates and check-ins at cool places, it’s likely that we will never have to expose what is really happening in our lives. I have so come to appreciate the ability to listen to other people who I know are going through a tough time for any reason. I know from experience that sometimes the best medicine is just having someone to listen to you or be a shoulder to cry on. If I can take time out of my own so-called-busy life and be there for someone who is going through their own battle, I hope I can begin to do my part to help others.