Today I Asked Myself: What is Grief?

Today I asked myself the question, “What is grief?” At SevenPonds we immediately think of loss and grief as symbiotic, but in lieu of recent events, I realized “grief” in its many meanings and forms is something we deal with throughout life. As children it is the grief our parents, teachers and unkind friends sometimes give us. As an adult it’s the intermittent grief that comes along with negotiating a relationship, a job, or in my case, building a business from scratch. Our concept of what grief is becomes larger than expected. Yet all of this aside, when someone we care about dies, “grief” and “loss” merge to give us a meaning so deep there is no other equation.

My favorite white oak tree along the dirt roads on the way to Seven Ponds lakes.

This past month I have had my share of the usual business grief, but it all pales in comparison to the recent death of my client Emily Miner due to lung cancer. She was only 41. Watching her on YouTube speak of her lung cancer as tears roll down her cheeks is so intense, it’s heart-grabbing. In respect to everything in my life this past month, the thought of Emily no longer gracing this world – well, it’s unfathomable. It quickly clarifies and helps me push forward over the pesky bumps that come my way. It makes me realize in the larger scheme of things, we just need to get over things and move on.

At the boat dock on Big Pond (not in full view), the largest lake at Seven Ponds. Note the water is a pitch black color unique within that local part of Michigan.

A year ago when I saw Arianna Huffington at a conference, she spoke of how each day she makes a point of looking at pictures of her children when they were small and problem-free. No matter how busy her schedule, that simple act has become her most important daily pleasure. For me, I think back to summers and my childhood at Seven Ponds in Michigan. It offers me solace and peace of mind when difficulties come my way. As I sit here, writing in sunny San Francisco, it’s the dead of winter there. When I spoke to my friend Jeff this morning, he noted that the ground at the Swiss Farms (up the hill from the lakes) was covered with newly-fallen snow. The lake may be frozen, but in my memories it’s always summer at the lakes, and it never fails to make me happy.

An image filled with Sherman’s at the cottage on the Swiss Farms. As is typical – happy times as all are in motion.

More happy times as the SevenPonds team rings in 2012 with a holiday party. More images on our Mulitmedia section soon.