Driven by Loss

There are many complicated emotions and actions that are the result of one’s personal experiences with grief. We talk about them often on this blog. Last week Luke Russert wrote about how powerful an influence the loss of his father, Tim Russert, was on him. In the article he shares a conversation that he had with vice presidential candidate, Paul Ryan, who also lost his father. The part of the article that really resonated with me though was how the understanding that their time on earth was finite drove them to accomplish and live NOW.

I certainly have had the same experience. So many of the decisions I make are based upon the fact that I know I am not guaranteed to have the time I hope that I do. As a result I try to visit as many places as I can, experience as much as possible, but most importantly, for me, tell the people in my life that are important to me that I love them – as often as possible.

But then I know others who when encountered with this revelation dial it back and intentionally live in a way that allows them to “stop and smell the roses” a bit more. The thing is both of these paths – and all the ones in between – are right, depending on where your own grief journey takes you. Grief is different for all of us.

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