{"id":13519,"date":"2024-12-02T12:10:55","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T19:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/?p=13519"},"modified":"2024-12-03T21:28:05","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T04:28:05","slug":"loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Guest Blogger Sharon Ziff writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I lost my gloves\u2014the ones I bought in Venice last year. I loved them. LOVED THEM. How could I love a pair of gloves? They had a soft, fluffy pompom on the top. I liked to stroke them. It was like petting a kitty. Sadness. And upset with myself for losing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I lost a pair of gloves. How could I feel this deep emotion for a pair of gloves? It\u2019s the attachment to my experience in Venice and my love for the friend I was with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loss is a recurring theme in my writing. At times, I struggle to manage the intense feelings that accompany loss. There\u2019s a burning sensation in my belly that I want to go away. I find myself thinking, \u201cNo, no, no,\u201d while tears begin to flow. It\u2019s not about the lost gloves; it\u2019s about the impermanence of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To cope, I have established a gratitude practice, focusing on appreciating the little things. Friendships are crucial in supporting me through my feelings and creating a safe place for expression. I have friends with whom I can laugh after the tears have flown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meditation and journaling help me process my emotions and provide a calming effect. I also have a favorite playlist that serves as a therapeutic outlet, allowing  me to reflect and connect with positive memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change and loss are a part of life. Aging brings about losses with a decline in health. You may slow down and cannot do everything you did when you were younger. Retirement brought changes. You are adjusting to a new routine or lifestyle you may not have anticipated. Give yourself time. What are some of your passions that can still provide you with a fulfilling life? Focus on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can be prepared for change and build resiliency as we age. Prepare for the practice of accepting what is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Frank Ostaseski<\/a> writes in \u201cFive Invitations,\u201d Welcome everything, push away nothing. It doesn\u2019t mean you have to like it. Then focus on what you can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embrace the joys. As the song goes, \u201cAccentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and don\u2019t mess with mister in between!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharon Ziff, RN,<\/strong> spent twelve years as a Hospice Nurse where she learned about end-of-life issues and the importance of the preparations to die with dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharon is certified in the \u201cAuthentic Presence: Contemplative End of Life Care Training,\u201d a specialized program, and is committed to providing the Community Education Project called \u201cLet\u2019s Speak About Death<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Links to The Write Spot Blog posts about loss:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Write About Your Loss<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healing Starts When You . . . <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writer Wounds and Scar Tissue<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Write Spot: Writing as a Path to Healing<\/a>” contains lists of valuable resources, including the restorative power of putting uncomfortable memories to paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest Blogger Sharon Ziff writes: I lost my gloves\u2014the ones I bought in Venice last year. I loved them. LOVED THEM. How could I love a pair of gloves? They had a soft, fluffy pompom on the top. I liked to stroke them. It was like petting a kitty. Sadness. And upset with myself for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[104],"tags":[2023,166,1834,1797,2022,2024,1499,1190],"class_list":["post-13519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-bloggers","tag-frank-ostaseski","tag-loss","tag-ninette-hartley","tag-rebecca-evans","tag-sharon-ziff","tag-writing-about-loss","tag-writing-as-a-path-to-healing","tag-writing-freely-just-write-writing-prompts-the-write-spot-blog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s43Dj8-loss","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13519"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13538,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13519\/revisions\/13538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}