Fine then, I'll take it, the trees seem to say, a new slick leaf unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I'll take it all. -- Ada Limon
sor·row
/ˈsôrō,ˈsärō/
noun
a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.
Field guides are a must-have for anyone on a journey to explore nature – so long as they don’t want to go it alone.
I have amassed a collection of field guides, from birds and trees to fossils and seasons. Putting one in my bag or pocket every time I set out makes me feel less alone.
With my field guide in hand, I can identify anything. After all, I have found that when you can name something, you can come closer to understanding it.
Those who have experienced loss – in my case, unexplained infertility – know that the journey through sorrow can be isolating and the route confusing, and at times, dangerous. See also: disenfranchised grief.
While I am not a therapist, and many have traveled much more complex journeys of loss, I have spent nearly a decade on this path. And I realized that – in scraps of paper, iPhone notes, journal entries, and collages – I had collected all the processed pieces of my journey. They just needed to be put together.
That is one of the things I plan to use this Substack for; a field guide of sorts. A place to put my collection.
Everyone’s grief journey is unique, but I hope that by sharing mine, you can feel less alone. I hope that what I have compiled as my own accidental guide can mean something, in some way, to you.
In these posts, you will find insights from my experience, poems and lyrics from my own beloved “guides,” and collages. I hope you will share your own thoughts and experiences back with me.
Thank you for sharing this journey.