One of my favourite non-mainstream media reads is The Free Press. While much of it is focused on politics, more and more articles are appearing on softer topics.

I was really taken by The Surprising Pleasures of Widowhood by Elinor Lipman. At the outset, I am not a female, so I am not faced with being a widow, and thankfully, my favourite person is still going strong. However, we have watched our mothers go through widowhood. Both had different reactions, but as I listened to Elinor, I was taken by the term ‘grie-lief’, which I think applied to my mother, who cared for Dad as he suffered cancer and then dementia. Mum did so much of her grieving before he died, and with his passing came a release of sorts. It didn’t mean she was pleased he was gone. He still featured in conversations, and there were photos on the mantel shelves, but Mum got on with her life. Her next few years were ones she got a lot from, and I’m thrilled for her. I miss her and Dad still.

There is much to take out of Elinor Lipman’s article and accompanying interview with Suzy Weiss. I wanted to focus on the final piece of the interview, where she considered some questions Continue reading →