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Widow’s Peek: The Denial Stage of Losing a Partner Involves a Tug-of War of the Heart and Brain

But there’s no making sense of endangering freedom and democracy

Marcia Gage
Bouncin’ and Behavin’ Blogs
5 min readNov 8, 2024

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Neon broken heart surrounded by fire.
Photo by Marah Bashir on Unsplash

It’s been a rough year for me. Three and a half months ago, I lost my husband. Along with dealing with grief, widowhood comes with many bureaucratic responsibilities and logistical changes. But I know I’m not alone in proclaiming that the worst and most stressful event of the year was the 2024 general elections. The implications range from personal to global, and most people responsible for the results have no idea what’s to come.

Dealing with the Denial Stage of Grief

Anyone who has lost a partner or a loved one knows that there’s no escaping the stages of grief, starting with denial. You find yourself simply not believing that the person is no longer here. As your gut and heart experience the surreal situation, you may exclaim that you don’t believe this is happening. But then common sense kicks in; everyone dies, he was ill for a long time, lived a good, reasonably long life, etc. You then may have at least a temporary reprieve to focus on good memories and moving forward with your life.

But the election results have given many of us a whole new experience of grieving. Not…

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Bouncin’ and Behavin’ Blogs
Bouncin’ and Behavin’ Blogs

Published in Bouncin’ and Behavin’ Blogs

We publish stories that make you think and humorous blogs. Topics range from politics to social justice, LGBTQ, mental health, family, humor, and entertainment. Each story covers a minimum of 3 minutes to read.

Marcia Gage
Marcia Gage

Written by Marcia Gage

I love that freelance writing, and Medium provides the opportunity to learn, teach, and share experiences about travel, wine, health, relationships, and more.

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