Healthy
Perspectives
By Olivia Cameron and Robert Levine
Life after Death
Perspective on
Losing a Partner
Death is a taboo topic. It is a hard pill to swallow, a sore subject, and we tend to live our lives
in rejection of the inevitable. Death not only ceases life on earth, but it can pause the lives of
those directly affected.
For those who have lost their spouse, everything they once knew is gone: Life becomes
something new and unwarranted. It’s not just about cooking dinner for one, it’s about making a
lasagna, habitually splitting it into two squares, then staring at the empty seat across the table. It’s
about leaving that spot on the couch open because it was his or her favorite place to watch the
television. It’s about revising your schedule based on your availability and not on “our” availability.
It’s about wearing that wedding band while knowing the marriage was unwillingly taken away.
One may often go through phases of physical side effects. People can experience hair loss,
fatigue, nausea, headaches, insomnia and food aversion. It can seem diffi cult to accomplish
merely anything.
36 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • January/February • 2021