Before and After
I recently had a discussion with a work colleague about how traumatic events impact the students we work with. She explained that when she presents a workshop on grief, she has her participants fold a piece of paper in half. In the center of the paper, on the crease, she tells them to imagine whatever it is they are grieving...to the left they write down what life was like before the event and to the right of the crease, life after the event. That was so profound...I immediately folded my own piece of paper in my mind. There it was, clear as day: Me before Jonathan's death (crease) Me after Jonathan's death. But it didn't stop there...there were so many more before and after events I needed to acknowledge. It was a lightbulb moment! It's no secret I am a different person than I was 17 months ago...life will not be the same ever again, but it is my life to live.