Who knew listening to Chicago Blues could be so healing? Like many of you, I’ve been sitting with the feelings that accompany the passing of a person I care about. About a week ago our friend of over 35 years made a very sudden exit from this planet (it was not Covid) and our shock and disbelief soon turned to a lot of sadness. Knowing that there is nothing we can do to undo it is a hard thing to accept and can bring on a bunch of feelings. After a lot of allowing a plethora of painful feelings for over a week, finally I decided there was one thing I could do and that was listen to some of our friend Steve’s favorite music from his time growing up on the South Side of Chicago.
And that is what I did yesterday. Just chilled and listened to a lot of music which was a top passion of Steves. It helped. Little did I know until I read Carolyn Costin’s recent article on Acceptance vs Resistance that I’d actually utilized her 3 steps for accepting. It was really helpful to see it laid out. Thank you Carolyn!
So many of us have been coping with extremely harsh realities lately. And some of you I know personally have recently had loved ones pass on/die/leave their bodies and this earth. However you frame it, we no longer have their physical presence. I wish I could give you a big hug and just sit with you and hear about your loved one.
Here is some music Steve shared recently from Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy, “Sweet Home Chicago.”
This process of accepting really hard things made me think about how hard it is for families right now who are desperate to get their loved ones into treatment for their eating disorders and other mental health care. When we accept that our loved one needs to get into treatment, we want to do it as soon as possible. And due to the massive increase in people needing treatment during this pandemic, wait times have increased dramatically.
You can see some tips on coping with these wait times here from my Recovery Roadmaps partner, Ibbits Newhall. Global Pandemic and Behavioral Healthcare
Please keep practicing safety protocols outlined by the CDC and stay safe.
