Who I am.

I write about the landscape of grief, nature, and the wisdom of fools. The author of four books, my essays, poems, and reviews have been published in over 50 journals, including in the Huffington Post and Colorado Review. I’ve won the River Teeth Nonfiction Book Award, the Chautauqua and Literal Latte’s essay prizes, and my work has been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and named a notable by Best American Essays. My account of hiking in Yosemite to deal with my wife’s death, Mountains of Light, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. http://www.markliebenow.com.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Stone Monastery of Grief

To most people, the world of Grief seems like a big void, a big empty cavern of audacious terror that one tries to flee, a place filled with utterly depressing chaos and rampaging emotions. It is.

But it also has long periods of silence after the first onslaught of grief calms. To those who grieve, the journey is like being a nun or a monk in a stone cenobic monastery. So much has been taken away that life feels pared back to the basics. Except for occasional ranting in the middle of the night, it’s quiet the rest of the time. We’re always slightly cold, and the food we eat, while nutritious, is nothing to write home about.
* If you would like to read the rest of this post, let me know and I’ll send it to you. *
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4 comments:

  1. www.robinbotie.comDecember 30, 2015 at 4:09 PM

    It's true. It's perfect. Connected in grief, I thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ElaineJanuary 4, 2016 at 2:59 PM

    Thank you, Mark. I love feeling connected in this way. Today I had lunch with a woman I don't know well. Her daughter died in 2000. We instantly knew something essential about each other: Both of us are grieving even though our sanctioned "grief period" is over. We still grieve and always will. We don't have to hide it from each other.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mark LiebenowJanuary 4, 2016 at 4:01 PM

    And because you both knew the landscape, you didn't have to hide anything and could share everything about grief. Freedom to be who you were in that moment. This is so neat.

    ReplyDelete

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