GRIEFBURSTS & GUTPUNCHES
When you are a grieving person,
You will undoubtedly experience
The unpleasant sensation of
Griefbursts and gutpunches.
You can’t prepare for either one.
They happen when they happen.
A griefburst or a gutpunch comes
When you least expect it.
There’s not a whole lot of difference
Between the two.
I consider a griefburst to be
A quick memory that causes us to cry briefly.
A gutpunch, however,
Can be an unexpected event or happening
That causes a longer period of sadness
And to feel as though the wind has been knocked out of us.
Neither sensation occurs at predictable times.
I personally experienced a gutpunch for my dad
While riding the cograil up to Pike’s Peak!
He had been deceased for ten years!
I have had numerous griefbursts
Since I became a grieving person:
In the grocery store
When I passed her favorite cookies.
When the department stores started decorating
For the coming Holidays;
When I sat on our deck
And reminisced about how she loved the outdoors.
On a good day, those things wouldn’t bother me.
But if I am especially tender, I will definitely cry.
I have come to accept crying as a normal bodily function.
If I cry in front of people, so be it.
As Washington Irving said,
“There is a sacredness in tears…
They are the messengers of overwhelming grief,
Of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.”
In other words,
If you experience a griefburst or a gutpunch,
It’s perfectly normal,
And it’s okay to cry.
Janie