Don’t Call Me a Widow – Part 31 

Thank You Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper hosts a podcast called All There Is, where he speaks openly about grief — both his own and that of the celebrities he interviews. I appreciate hearing public figures share their personal stories, because their experiences often mirror mine and yours. One thing Anderson said stayed with me: grief is a necessary part of life, and if we hold on to the moments that shaped our memories, the pain will ease. It won’t disappear — grief isn’t a disease we cure — but it can soften.

I’ve said many times that our choices determine the direction of our healing. We must steer the ship and dock it ourselves; no one can do that part for us. Yes, we can seek coaching, counseling, and medical support, but we must be willing participants in changing our own paradigm.

For generations, grief has been treated as something we “get over,” a temporary disruption we’re expected to tidy up and move past. But grief doesn’t behave that way. It isn’t linear, it isn’t a checklist, and it isn’t a series of predictable stages. Grief is a living experience that reshapes us from the inside out. Even before loss, we were evolving, changing, exploring new paths. Loss impacts that evolution, and we choose how we move forward.

Moving forward is not forgetting. It’s taking the positive energy of living and letting it work for us — and for those we meet along the way. Grief invites us to stop searching for “normal” and instead create a new rhythm that fits the life we’re living now. When we change the grief paradigm, we recognize that grief becomes part of our DNA, but it doesn’t have to control our breath or our future.

You don’t have to follow the grief journey others suggest — not your family, not your friends, not your community. You must do what works for you, and ensure that it truly works. Asking for help, guidance, and direction is not only acceptable, it’s often essential. And it’s equally important to allow others to grieve in their own way, without judgment.

Do not allow grief to stop you. The person you loved — your spouse, your partner, your companion — would never want your life to end with their absence. Live for them. Live for you. Live fully.

Join me as we walk this path together.

#YesICan Coaching with Karen

Email: Kh.yesican1@gmail.com

DONT CALL ME A WIDOW