Friday, February 5, 2016

Grief IS NOT A Disease


Grief is not a disease
If you go near it you’re not gonna “catch” anything.
Yeah, you may be forced to deal with some emotion
You may come face to face with some sadness
I suppose a little too much for your comfort
But I promise you, you won’t catch anything
It’s not like Chicken Pox
It’s not contagious
It’s not the common cold
Air-borne, and bound for anything in reach, breathing

Grief is not a disease
If you touch the person that’s grieving
It won’t happen to you
Simply because you reached out to them.
It’s non-transferrable
I promise you, you won’t catch anything
It’s not a disease

Grief is the emotional outcome of a circumstance
An involuntary state of mind that one finds itself in
Resulting from the death of someone they loved
Someone that loved them
Knowing that for this time they will never be able to see them again
That there will never be another opportunity to eat with them
To say simple things like hello, good morning, good night…
I love you
Because the final farewell has been said
And they are no longer where they’ve always been
That’s what grief is
A yearning, a longing for what was and can no longer be
A deep sorrow beyond human explanation
And human touch
And no, you can’t catch it.
Yes, you might feel it.
And it might leave you feeling a certain type of way
Feeling lost, feeling a loss… for words.
But times that by about a million
And you might have a sense even if for a moment of how the one who is grieving feels

It’s not a disease
But it feels like one to them
Especially when they’re treated like it is
By those who stay miles and miles away
Keeping them at arm’s length… not wanting to get too close
Not even by phone

Grief is not a disease
It’s not a condition.  It’s not a disorder.
It’s not terminal. 
And I personally want you to know, you can’t catch it.
But even if you could, you won’t
…you’re not that close.




Copyright 2016 Evelyn Fannell
http://www.intheshadowofgrief.com