Good Grief, Charlie Brown...

Good Grief, Charlie Brown...

Peanuts was by far my favorite cartoon strip when I was a kid. I guess at some point I figured I had outgrown it, even though the humor and poignancy of the strip operate equally well or even better for adults.

As a kid, I took 'good grief' at face value: it is what Charlie said when the world just got too much for him. As a adult who has lived - is living - through loss it takes on a whole new meaning. Here is some of what I've learned about good grief...

Grief takes whatever time it takes.

Losses seem to naturally compound and cascade. Sometimes this makes it harder to sort out the compounded and cascaded grief.

Grief has a social component. "I get by with a little help from my friends..." But when some people ask how you are doing, they don't really want to know.

Kubler-Ross was one smart woman, and her model helps; but understanding a model of grief is not the same thing as grieving.

Resignation is not the same as acceptance.

Writing and talking help.