Why we need to stop rushing through sadness

I've been thinking about grief lately. Not just the big, obvious griefs, but the smaller ones we carry. The loss of who we used to be. The dreams that didn't unfold as planned. The relationships that have shifted or ended.

We live in a culture that wants to fix grief, rush through it, or avoid it altogether. But what if grief isn't a problem to solve? What if it's love with nowhere to go?

Three ways to honor your grief this week:

1. Name What You've Lost: Write down something you're grieving, whether it's recent or ancient. Sometimes just naming it helps us stop carrying it alone.

2. Create a Small Ritual: Light a candle, take a walk, or sit quietly for five minutes. Grief needs witness, not solutions.

3. Practice Both/And: Notice how you can hold sadness and joy simultaneously. The heart is large enough for both.

Grief isn't something to get over. It's something to carry with more grace, more tenderness, more understanding that it's actually a testament to how deeply we've loved.

You don't have to be strong all the time. You don't have to heal on anyone else's timeline. Your grief is valid, necessary, and ultimately sacred.