Day #59 – Why do people run from grievers? From a friend: I returned to work after a 30-day bereavement leave and was stunned by how my co-workers dealt with my loss. At the time, I could not understand why they would run in a different direction when they saw me walking down the hallway – adding insult to my already injured soul. In addition, my peers didn’t stop by my office to welcome me back to work and share their condolences. Adding this burden of avoidance to the list of losses in my life since my husband passed made me question the essence of my new existence. As I continued along my journey, I realized neither people in my neighborhood nor acquaintances at my daughter’s daycare center make eye contact with me. I could not comprehend why people just did not stop to talk. The light bulb went off in my brain many years later while working with a newly bereaved widow, listening to her share her discomfort with people around her. The distance from co-workers, neighbors and acquaintances was not from a lack of caring – instead the perceived coldness was the result of their not knowing what to do or say. Running from a griever is easier than saying the wrong thing. As society continues to be educated in grief – we will all be equipped with tools that are helpful not hurtful.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 12:34:19 +0000
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