On loss

It just sucks, whether it's long and slow, like a person with a terminal illness or like the gradual withdrawal of a treasured friendship, or whether it's quick but agonizing, like a break-up with someone you love or a like being fired from your job. I've had both the slow and the sudden, and I can't decide which is worse.

I guess what it really comes down to is the acceptance of change and the ability to understand that the new and unfamiliar circumstances can not only become comfortable someday, but also that the new circumstances might be for the best... though that cannot be true in all cases. Take the loss of a parent, for example. If that parent has been suffering for some time with physical or emotional pain, having him or her be relieved of that pain really is better for them. But maybe not for you. You're left with a huge gaping hole, the lack of guidance, and the immediate realization you're on your own. Forever.

Maybe that's the essence of what makes loss difficult... the idea that you're on your own, that the thing, the person you relied upon (for whatever time period and for whatever purpose) has left for whatever reason. The reliance you might have felt, or at least wished to feel, has disappeared with no hope of resolution. It's a terrible feeling.