a healing recipe

Grief hits hard.  Tired and exhausted, I can't tell if it is my body or my emotions that are simply worn out, but my understanding of healing grows and grows and grows.  Here is a working recipe.  Add some ingredients because I am sure to have left something out.

1.   a blank journal and some pens and pencils
2.   time to hear your own thoughts
3.   find a friend (or pay someone) who will just let you talk and talk and offer no advice
4.   find space to sit with a friend and be open to someone else's story
5.   listen for connections
6.   seek out people who love you and want to take care for you (feed you)
7.   find space to play and have fun
8.   go for a walk. go for a swim. do something physical.
9.   write about your grief, your sorrow, your joys, again and again
10. find some remedies--homeopathy, massage, yoga poses, hot stone therapy
11. remember your loved one with others--tell stories, eat some of her favorite food
12. take time to create
13. listen to nature
14. breathe
15. cry
16. pause
17. try to sleep
18. practice grace
19. find beauty
20. name the cruelty of death
21. make a gratitude list (and fold it up in your pocket to carry and open when needed)