This year represents the tenth anniversary of the passing of my partner and eight years since I wrote 50 Ways To Grieve Your Lover. In my workshops I always talk about it as the book I hope no one needs. Recent events have had me pondering about other ways my experiences might help people travelling through grief. First up I’ve reduced the price of the e-book on Amazon ($3.99). Secondly, from time to time I’ll be providing an extract from the book on the blog. I hope it helps.
Thanks to Let Grow Therapy www.letgrowtherapy.com
50 Ways To Grieve Your Lover was written in 2007 two years after my partner Michael passed away. Focusing on the 12 months after the funeral, it is written as a series of short emails to a friend, and outlines 100 tips. It also contains humour and some of Michaels cartoons.
Extract
Two to three weeks on and you’ve made it through the initial days of fog, and the funeral. By now you’re getting yourself out of bed, the kids are going to school and you’ve probably returned to work. Later on you will look back at this time and realise that you were actually operating on autopilot, while being emotionally numb. To most people you appear normal. In fact you may even look better than you have in years, thanks to the Grief Diet.
The Grief Diet, never spoken about in polite circles, it’s one of the simplest weight loss methods known to man. The weight just falls away even though you are eating. It’s amazing that it hasn’t featured on Oprah as the next Hollywood diet sensation.
From: 50 Ways
Date: Days 1- 90
To: My friend
Subject: Grief Couture – create a new fashion label
London, Milan, Paris, your bedroom everybody’s talking about your grief couture.
I stand before you, my work colleagues, resplendent in my smart Collette Dinnigan suit, the image of professionalism, right down to my off white threadbare ‘Sexy Beast’ ‘y’ fronts. Sentimentality and symbolism are the cornerstones of your new look.
Elle MacPherson’s ‘g’ strings have given way to your partners ‘y’ fronts and his pyjamas replace your silk night gown. You crave oversized floppy jumpers to get totally lost in, and explorer socks, ah explorers socks. Lots of people talk about the comfort gained from wearing an article of their loved ones clothing. Some men have been known to sleep in their wives cotton nighties. So use this time to create your own fashion statements and don’t forget to accessorise.
Tips:
- A word of advice though. Keep these displays amongst the family. Your friends don’t need to see your new summer collection until you have (a) perfected it or (b) realized the error of your ways, most likely the latter.
- Beware of high winds on the high street, They could reveal more about your state of mind than you intended.
50 Ways to Grieve Your Lover continues to sell internationally and has been used in some national and international disasters such as the New Zealand Pike Mine Disaster. It’s also the book that saw me profiled by US marketing guru Seth Godin.
For hard copies of the book contact me. For the e-book version go to Amazon . As part of the 10 year anniversary the price has been reduced to $3.99. Wishing your strength. Top image thanks to Let Grow Therapy
