Listen "You Can’t Return Grief at the Self-Checkout”"
Episode Synopsis
What do a mistaken tea purchase and a 100-degree South Texas day have to do with grief? Everything. In this reflective episode, Ray unpacks how life, unlike a supermarket, doesn’t offer exchanges or refunds—and how we must keep moving forward through the world grief leaves us in. Guided by the poems of Theodore Roethke and Jane Hirshfield, we discover that taking our waking slow, learning as we go, and finding deep resilience is how we begin to heal. Pour yourself something cold (check the label), and join us on a poetic, personal journey of strength, sorrow, and survival.5 Salient Points from the Episode:Life isn’t like a supermarket: You can’t return the parts you didn’t want—grief stays with you.Theodore Roethke’s poem “The Waking” offers a gentle mantra: “We learn by going where we have to go.”The importance of movement: Both literal and emotional—“mobility is movement” applies to healing, too.Jane Hirshfield’s poem “Optimism” reminds us of the inherent resilience in all living things, including ourselves.Even in grief, growth is possible: Slowly, painfully, and beautifully—we unpeel layers, step by step, toward life.
More episodes of the podcast Journey From Grief to Healing
Between the Scars: A Road Back to Living
21/07/2025
The Quiet Ache of Grief: Yearning After Loss
10/07/2025
When Grief Pushes, Life Pulls
07/07/2025
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