The Soundtrack to Grief and Other Forms of Education
Even dealing with the muck of a thing like loss, I still feel like my life in San Francisco follows some sort of narrative arc dusted with a magical synchronicity. Clearly I've tried many things that haven't worked in easing the feelings around the death of my dad: new potions, old vices and general avoidance of life events. With enough curiosity and counsel from my better angels, however, I've found more skillful avenues for treating the subject like engaging in education (at a group level), reading up on astrology and listening to music. For education, I've joined a grief group at the Institute of Aging in the city's Richmond District. It's a group of 12 of us who will hopefully become friends for life. The facilitator, Patrick Arbore , is an award-winning saint who started the Friendship Line, an alternative to the usual-suicide-prevention-hotline for elderly Californians. Patrick comes across physically and emotionally as a cross between Mer