After a few things were happening in the world around me recently, I had a strange need to explain how I feel about death and loss. It is imperative that we live life authentically, with a purpose in our hearts and minds. Life is our own to experience, and we all deserve to have our own unique human experience.
Breathe in, and breath out. Do it consciously, literally right now. In and out. I know you may have heard this before, but that is a force inside of you. What starts it? I couldn't tell you. What stops it? Well, there are many reasons for that, but honestly, no one could tell you truly why it stops.
What do you feel when I say the word "death"? It's okay to be scared and afraid, but why are you? Death, or loss, is a part of the cycle of life. Believe it or not, we experience death or loss in our everyday lives. It doesn't have to be literal loss of life.
Death doesn't have to be sad, either. Yes, obviously you may feel certain ways about losing a loved one, but if you're like me, then you believe everything happens for a reason and things are shifting in the universe. This time, they're just shifting very close to you.
I know this is a very touchy subject, especially in North America, but I feel that it should be a bit more normalized.
I woke up yesterday morning to a few disheartening messages. One was that a 38-year-old distant cousin had passed away. Next was that singer Demi Lovato was hospitalized due to a drug overdose after many years of being sober. Earlier this morning when I got to work, one of my coworkers was talking about a few deaths that had hit her loved ones recently. Lastly, one employee was terminated.
My empathic side came out and I could feel a heavy energy throughout the whole workplace. At that point, I was just repeatedly telling myself to take conscious breaths. It was the only thing keeping me kind of sane.
For some reason, I've always had the thought that I'd be able to do everything that I wanted before I pass. Then I got to thinking, my cousin had so many things going for her. She was a successful author, a great mother from what I was able to observe, and just a great soul! I bet she had big things planned for herself and her family.
That's no reason to be sad, though! Yes, I'm sure her close family members and friends will cry for her and wish she was still here. That's normal, that's human. I realize it does hurt for a while. That's not a good place to stay in, though. There's a time for grieving and a time for embracing the life that once was.
As a huge fan, I have followed Demi Lovato's story for a while. I loved watching her most recent documentary, "Simply Complicated". To me, the title itself captures the essence of life and the reason she had overdosed after years of being sober. Yes, it is a terrible thing to hear that this has happened as a result of her choices, but it is not over yet. She still has a life and career ahead of her that is very promising if she is able to coach herself on how to get back into the swing of things.
After I had realized why everything in the office when I got to work had felt very heavy and strange, I understood why I felt overwhelmed with emotion. Later, I found out a little bit about why the employee was terminated. It turned out that she was very rude to a customer over the phone.
Now, I realize that she may have deserved the punishment that she got, but maybe it was time for her to leave the company and she just couldn't take it anymore. Maybe it was best for her to leave before she did anything else too drastic. So, while this will follow her throughout her career, maybe this is the new beginning she needed. Maybe she needs to do something else in life to get her to a better place within herself.
Death shouldn't be an uncomfortable topic. It doesn't have to be the topic of everyday conversation, but it should be understood and welcomed when it is here.
It is just like all of your emotions. One day, you could be happy. Next week, you could be excited about your vacation. Tomorrow you could be nervous about the presentation you have to give at work or in class. It's just another thing that happens.
I can't tell you how or why, but I can tell you that when it happens in any form, you shouldn't fight it because that will make you suffer even more. It happens to everyone and everything when the time is right for them.