The path through grief is often desrcibed as "climbing a mountain". Why not take this imagery from the figurative to the literal? This is what Robert Kennedy did when he scaled Mt. Kennedy in the Canadian Yukon after his brother's death in 1963. At the summit he engaged in a ritual of burying items of JFK's in the snow and ice along side a flag with the family crest on it. The climb was not easy and he was physically challenged, but by all accounts he came back down that mountain a changed man-with renewed focus and sense of himself.
Grief can drain the bereft of energy, weaken immunity, lessen engagement and enthusiasm for living and often leads to loss of focus and confidence. Climbing provides many physical, emotional, mental and spiritual benefits-many of which are beneficial for the grief-stricken. Breath, coordination, building an appetite, hydration...these are things generally taken for granted, but in grief we breath shallowly, sighing often; we are disconnected from our bodies and become more accident-prone; food and drink do not appeal to us. Climbing in the mountains requires us to attend to these things to be successful. Simply having a goal of reaching the top provides the bereft with a mental and emotional hook that can take the mind's energy away, even briefly, from other things associated with the loss. Learning new skills also engages the mind differently. Being out-of-doors, surrounded by natural beauty and light can offer a spiritual lift. Climbing offers the griever a community.
Is it a community that speaks to you?
Further resources:
www.on-belay.org/
http://www.climbforkids.org/
Deep River Beneath White Pines
http://www.uphere.ca/node/786
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19930617&slug=1706915
