Too Easy

I’m not sure why I didn’t figure this out earlier… but… Naropa. Enough said.

The Year of Magical Thinking

Joan Didion is such a beautiful writer. I think because she is so direct. And simple. Right now I am reading about her experiences with her daughter’s illness and her husband’s death in The Year of Magical Thinking. A friend mentioned this book is excellent for dealing with grief and since I am currently experiencing living in an apartment by myself, I am experiencing some level of grief. But, mostly, I am remembering what it was like when Michael died.

And then I read this… “I could deal with “autopsy” but the notion of “obituary” had not occured to me. “Obituary,” unlike “autopsy,” which was between me and John and the hospital, meant it had happened” (31).

Recently, I had a paper accepted for student research day at UWM which means I will be flying back to Milwaukee to present on a paper I wrote while I was in graduate school. The title of my paper is Loss and Language: Information Seeking Behaviors in Grieving and Traumatized Individuals detailing the idea that during the grieving process, people use different words. Professionals in the information field need to be cognizant of this and work with information seekers to assist them in choosing to use the best and most comfortable words possible during the grieving process.

Thanks, Joan, for the directness and the simplicity.