this was supposed to be a different substack, but the substack i was working on didn’t feel right to send now.
these last few months have been brutal and painful, even more so for some than others. i know several people who have lost dear loved ones, whether from covid-19 or not, and, for many, that grief is compounded by the fact that they were unable to travel because of this pandemic. they didn’t get a chance to say good-bye, to hold their loved ones one last time and bury them with dignity and love.
there is nothing i could write that could lessen the grief of these personal losses. these words themselves feel so hollow because i have had the stupid fortune of not being touched directly by covid-19. i know i can only feel so much for friends who are now having to reconcile themselves with a world in which people they loved are no longer there. i can’t even begin to imagine that pain, and whatever comfort i can offer feels so meager.
i want to hold some space for the grieving here; this seems to be the most i can do. if you’ve lost someone, i’m sorry for your loss. i’m doubly sorry if you couldn’t be there, and i’m angry that there are so many assholes out there refusing to wear masks and/or crowding public spaces and lengthening the time we’re in lockdown. i may just be a stranger on the internet, but, for what it’s worth, i’m sorry that you are grieving, and i send my love.
and to those who have gone, 수고하셨습니다. 편히 쉬세요.