“Just Get Over It”

"Just get over it" is a denunciation of grief. We haven’t been taught the hardest part of losing an animal isn't the day they die - although that is a heartbreaking day. It's the weeks after, when the world expects you to be fine and you're still unconsciously reaching for them at the most unexpected times.

I was 40+ when my cat Pookie died. My first animal family member. I wasn’t aware of what I'd been missing my whole life until she took me by the paw and showed me what life could be like. When people got tired of my grief, I learned something painful: society has a timeline for your grief, and it's always too short.

The heartbreaking truth is never having experienced the death of an animal family member before, I believed them. I thought I shoud be able to “just get over it”. I shamed myself for not being able to do so. Unknowingly, I swallowed the guilt and anger I felt about having a completely normal reaction to a feeling our society denies. 

Based on my experience I truthfully tell you:

Your grief isn't too much. It's not silly. It's love learning to live without a physical body in sight.

With the upcoming holiday season you may be hearing that phrase more often if you have recently lost an animal family member, are celebrating the anniversary of a death, or a memory of a death suddenly pops out of the blue.

Or the words might strike you at a deeper, more painful level.

If that’s the case, I can help. I offer Rainbow Bridge Conversations for those carrying this weight. Consider starting the ground work now, so that by the time the holidays roll around you will be more centered and accepting of how you experience your grief

First step is a free 30-minute discovery call so we can explore together what this means for you.