Thank you, Jacob, for sharing and helping to normalize grief. Grief is weird. It hits you randomly and unexpectedly and changes who you are forever.
When you lose someone, you always wait for the shoe to drop. When will I need to explain? Will I explain too much? Are they uncomfortable? Am I uncomfortable?
It goes from being the elephant in the room to you wanting there to be the elephant in the room because you miss talking about them; you miss talking to them.
Let's normalize talking about grief, the highs and lows, and random reminders that can send us into a spiral.
This holiday season, if someone tells you they lost someone, instead of just saying, “I'm sorry,” ask them about their loved one, a memory, a story, or their favorite holiday dish. The world may think of that world in the past, but to that person, they will also be present.