But what if the great secret insider-trading truth is that you don't ever get over the biggest losses in your life? Is that good news, bad news, or both? . . . . The pain does grow less acute, but the insidious palace lie that we will get over crushing losses means that our emotional GPS can never find true north, as it is based on maps that no longer mention the most important places we have been to. Pretending that things are nicely boxed up and put away robs us of great riches.
Anne Lamott's book, "Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair," explores the enduring impact of significant losses in our lives. She poses a thought-provoking question about whether the inability to completely move on from our biggest disappointments is a positive or negative aspect of our emotional journey. Lamott suggests that while the pain of such losses may lessen over time, the idea that we can entirely overcome them is a...
