This is Grief
By Kat Powell
By Dalí
A letter.
“That though the radiance which was once so bright be now forever taken from my sight. Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower. We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind.” – William Wordsworth.
2020 was a year filled with many things. Acts of reflection, new relationships, fear, uncertainty, and much more, but something I believe was the most prominent in all our lives this past year, is grief.
Grief, I have found, comes in many shapes and sizes. It is not only the heartache that comes after the death of someone who you held dear, but also the sinking feeling after loss itself.
As children, we never would have imagined the capacity we had for the emotions we feel when we go through loss, nor the complexity that comes with getting through it. We as a generation have recognized that grief comes after many events, in many forms, loss of relationships, loss of freedom, and for many this year, the loss of their rights. After loss, one can only do their best when it comes to how they may grieve, and although everyone grieves differently, perhaps through music, or tears, or even laughter, the one thing we all have in common is that sense of self awareness, a sense that whatever we do to grieve, it will be right for us, it will be what we need.
When we go through grief, we are going through a process that possibly brings out our most authentic selves. We allow ourselves to remember things how they were, not how we wished them to be.
We allow ourselves to recognize what we lost, try to understand why we lost it, and accept the possibility that although we might never get it back, it happened for a reason, and we will be ok.
Grief is a powerful thing, but power is not always bad. If you find yourself in a state of grief, let yourself be there, let yourself go through the pain of loss that every human will feel in their life countless times, but every time, let it make you better.