Monday, March 19, 2012

Trying

People who have suffered the worst loss imaginable have to fight for their lives every day. I know that sounds melodramatic, and even loss parents reading this might think "exaggeration much?" but stop and think about having your heart torn out and being expected to survive that? And yet, we do. Survive. But when do we get to do more than simply survive? Every day is a struggle to get out of bed, shower, get dressed, hell even breathing just hurts some days. Now that the first year has passed, I am making a conscious effort to emerge from my hermit-like self-loathing pity party state and be an active participant in life. My son wouldn't want it any other way. He would want me to fully LIVE. So as I said before, I am striving for that balance of work, home, friends, hobbies, myself, and all the other things that grief "stole" my attention from. This is kind of a HUGE deal. Not everyone gets here. Some people stay STUCK forever in the black mire. Well, apparently not all of my friends truly realize the significance of my efforts or how much more difficult it is for someone who is grieiving to try and throw something like a dinner party. I spent allll day Saturday cooking, cleaning, decorating, and getting amped up to have people over. Two couples that we were expecting to come over didn't show up. One of them had promised to come and were a huge part of why we were throwing the party, because they said they never do anything. Less than three days before the party, one of them mentioned to my sister that they wouldn't be able to make it due to a prior commitment (mind you, we had spoken about the party for weeks beforehand where nothing was ever mentioned about prior plans). I find that excuse very difficult to buy, and I need to emphasize that this person never even bothered to tell me directly or apologize or anything along those lines. They didn't even ask if my sister could pass the message along. (?!) Another couple said they were coming and just never showed up. We heard nothing. A week or so ago, another friend of mine ignored several of my attempts to hang out after saying she wanted to. This was a friendship that had drifted, and I was trying to do some mending, which takes a great deal of emotional energy on top of grief. I tried suggesting different things to do and at different times, and she never confirmed anything, so I finally said "What is going on????" and still no response. So, I'm about done. With everyone. I keep putting myself out there, and it angers me that people must think I'm better, that I don't need friends, and it angers me that they don't know that in many many ways I am still fighting for my very life. Fighting to have some kind of life outside of the loss world, to do more than simply survive but to live. It angers me that my husband doesn't understand that concept, either. How will anybody else get it when he doesn't? I remember when he used to "get" me. I miss those days more than ever. Overall, I feel so disrespected, devalued, alone, misunderstood, unloved, and unimportant. If I didn't have my daughter here, I think I'd just be done with it all. The weather is getting nicer, and I have the day off, I should be out enjoying it, but I just want to crawl in a hole and disappear.

7 comments:

  1. Wow. I love your tag labels for this post. I really think people can be such jerks. Something as intimate as a dinner party is absolutely grounds for a call to at least say (IN ADVANCE) if you cannot make it. And I don't buy that crappy excuse either.

    That's a whole lot of work and especially for a grieving mother-- I know because despite hating life for the last 15 months, I've still had a bunch of quite laborious dinner parties myself. I do it to force myself into "life" but secretly hate throwing them and having people in my house sometimes. My husband enjoys them and it suffices his interests to have me out in the world and all that.

    I'm sorry your friends suck. Because that is definitely lame. I doubt I'd be inviting them to anything in the future. :/

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  2. :( I hate how people don't understand that sometimes it is hard to do "normal" things after losing a child.

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  3. I just want to give you a hug so bad! I'm so sorry that these so called friends don't understand and have been so rude to you. No one deserves that, let alone someone who has lost a child. I hope you are able to rise above and keep going with your mission to live--it is a big deal and should be treated that way. As someone a few months behind you in the journey, you help give me something to work towards!

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  4. Oh I can so relate to this. Especially when I was at the same stage of my grief as you. I had just started putting myself back out there, and I had a few doors slammed in my face, so to speak. One of my "best friends" is getting married this weekend, but I'm not invited as she's one of the many I fell out with as she just couldn't handle my grief. All of our mutual friends are sad I'm not coming, and that we've fallen out so disastrously, but it is what it is. She hurt me beyond measure and I'm obviously better off without her.
    Just sad though that we suffer so many other losses on top of the greatest losses of all.
    xo

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  5. Yeah, that's really rude of them. I would definitely say something to let them know how much they hurt you. I don't understand why people don't get how *much* effort it takes us to act "normal" even after months and years, and reciprocate with their own efforts.

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  6. My heart hurt reading this. I'm sorry you have been treated so badly and so disrespectfully by people. It is so very hard trying to be "normal" after infant death - and it's so sad that other people don't get that.

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  7. I know I'm backreading your blog so this is very very late, but I just wanted to say that this post is exactly where I am at the moment - I feel I have just about survived the initial aftermath of my son's death, but now, how on earth do I go about actually LIVING again...

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