Savoring Grief

There is something beyond the pain of grief that can be appreciated– if not exactly enjoyed

like a nice stinky cheese or a too-hot pepper.

A feeling of opening up instead of shutting down.

It can still be debilitating in a world driven by productively working through a predetermined to-do list.

But not in the way you might imagine.

It doesn’t crush you when you stop trying to hold it at a distance

It pulls you into its arms and takes you on a journey to a place where what isn’t

or wasn’t

or can’t be any longer

can be loved and appreciated and then allowed to melt

making room for the subtle sweetness of what is