To my readers: it has been a while since I have paid attention to this blog and for that, I apologize. Life has been busy with a move to the Pacific Northwest, which entailed a new job, house and lifestyle. Oh, and we did have a pandemic, which disrupted much of life for all of us. I’m happy to be back and with my impending retirement from full-time employment, look forward to being more active in the things I care deeply about. Thanks for reading and commenting on this blog--I really appreciate it.
Two years ago this month, life as we knew it ended. A virus that originated in a lab in China swept the globe, killing over six million people worldwide, to date. “Normal” disappeared and we were forced to adapt to life during a global pandemic. We wore masks, went to school and work from home, streamed a lot of TV, disinfected everything and became reacquainted with our homes and families. We were isolated, stressed and anxious and many of us lost loved ones and were not even able to say a proper goodbye or celebrate their lives with our community. We are cautiously optimistic that the pandemic is nearly over, although there always seems to be another variant that could create another surge and further restrictions in order to contain it.
There is a four-letter word that completely describes what the world community has experienced over the past two years: LOSS. Loss is almost always unexpected and intrudes itself into our lives in many forms—betrayal by a loved one, illness, financial difficulties, a global pandemic, war, death—to name a few. So, what do we know about this dreaded four-letter word?
Loss is grievous: when we lose someone or something, we grieve, we lament. To “lament” simply means that we cry out in grief over the thing/person that was lost. It is our legitimate reaction to the sudden absence of someone or something that was dear to us. But some of us fear grief—we just want to pretend that we are not saddened when we are deprived of someone or something dear, so we gloss over it, stuff it or simply refuse to acknowledge the loss. Failure to process through a loss will compound our reaction to future losses—ungrieved losses stack up and will accompany any new losses we may experience.
Loss changes everything: whatever form loss takes, it will change everything in our life, whether we want it to or not. It does not ask our permission before it marches in and disrupts our lives. Both of my parents died within ten months of each other during the pandemic (though not from Covid). No one can be fully prepared for the experience of losing one’s parent(s) until it happens. It changes the rhythm of family interactions (no more morning talks with mom while commuting to work), our relationship with our past and creates a vulnerability for our future. We suddenly become the next generation likely to die—the layer of protection from death that we foolishly believe our parents provided is gone. Any opportunity to resolve conflicts, get vital health or family history or have just one more conversation is permanently gone.
Loss disrupts “normal” if there is such a thing. We are creatures of habit—most of us enjoy the familiarity of our daily routines, we feel secure when life hums along as we believe it should. When loss marches into the front door of our lives, “normal” exits through the back. We are forced to grieve the original loss along with the loss of life as we knew it. The pandemic certainly changed everything that was normal in our lives--the way we worked, shopped, socialized, worshiped, vacationed, dated and even how we conducted funerals. Covid caused us to fear each other and to distance ourselves (quarantine as well as maintaining a safe distance) at a time when we most needed each other, when we desperately needed the comfort of human touch or human presence. My uncle died from Covid and like so many others who succumbed to this dreaded disease, he died alone in an intensive care unit hooked up to machines. There is nothing “normal” about that!
Loss forces us to reevaluate our priorities: have you heard about the Great Resignation? Many in the workforce decided to either change careers or drastically change the way they participate in the workforce as a consequence of the pandemic. Some of us loved working from home and cherished the additional personal time that not commuting provided. Parents spent more time with their children (although juggling remote work and online school has been chaotic for many) and discovered that they enjoyed having more family time. After the death of my parents and my return to in-person work, I realized that my priorities had shifted. I’m having a very significant birthday this month and now knowing how my parents died and how old they were at the time of their death gives me a glimpse of what my future might look like. How do I want to spend the remaining time I have on this planet? What do I want to contribute or what brings me joy? What do I need to change now as a result of the losses I have experienced?
More than anything, however, loss teaches us that we need each other. The pandemic kept us from one another in tangible ways but we found ways to stay connected and my hope is that we will continue to look for healthy ways to connect, to support and to love one another as we embrace the numerous losses we have all experienced together—our common trauma. May we focus on what unites us rather than what divides and may we see and cherish our common humanity.
