From body to soul
Different people deal with their loss differently. Grief doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Some of us take days to get over what happened and move on whereas others take years — and some never recover from their past. One of the key principles of adulting is you’ve got to abandon your innocence for the sake of practicality. It’s only when you hear children express their loss that you understand the depth of your ignorance: you could be an adult but that doesn’t mean you have all the answers. And to your utter disadvantage, that little human in front of you has all the questions.
Here’s a short imaginary conversation about loss and reconciliation.
Grandson: “Where is grandma?”
Grandpa: “She’s gone.”
Grandson: “Where?”
Grandpa: “To a better place, kid.”
Grandson: “Can we go there?”
Grandpa: “I will… someday soon. But you can’t.”
Narrator: “Let’s see what happens.”
Grandson: “Why?”
Grandpa: “It’s for old folks like me. You are too young to go there. You haven’t seen life yet.”
Grandson: “But I want to go there and meet her.”
Grandpa: “I want to meet her too but we’ll have to wait for our turn.”
Grandson: “I miss her a lot.”
Grandpa: “I know, kid. I miss her too all the time. I am not used to living without her. She was always by my side.”
Grandson: “I understand.”
Narrator: “No, he doesn’t.”
Grandpa: “She was in a lot of pain, wasn’t she?”
Grandson: “Yeah.”
Grandpa: “She is in a place where she can’t feel pain anymore.”
Grandson: “That sounds nice.”
Grandpa: “Yes, it is. Good people get to go to a nice place when they die.”
Narrator: “Bullcrap!”
Grandson: “I can’t wait to die.”
Narrator: “WTF!”
Grandpa: “What the… You shouldn’t say that. Life is given to us so that we can do something good with our time. Death will happen when it has to.”
Grandson: “I guess death happens in the end.”
Narrator: “Not always.”
Grandpa: “True, and that’s why we should begin with life. Learn and grow as much as we can.”
Grandson: “Did grandma learn and grow?”
Grandpa: “Oh yes, she did! She was a nurturing soul because she could improve herself without making others feel small.”
Grandson: “What’s a soul, grandpa?”
Grandpa: “Soul is a part of you and it remains inside you as long as you are alive.”
Grandson: “Is my soul in my belly?”
Grandpa: “Ha. No, no, it’s within you, not inside your stomach.”
Grandson: “Where is grandma’s soul then?”
Narrator: “Aren’t ghosts lovely?”
Grandpa: “Her soul must have reached that nice place I told you about.”
Grandson: “Where is grandma then?”
Narrator: “Oh damn!”
