27/04/2026
Grief can bowl you right over, can’t it. 🌬️
I’ve sadly lost people I love before, and in more tragic circumstances too, but this is my Dad. It hit hard.
I’m usually a person that keeps going. I’ve multi-tasked and grieved before but this time I’ve taken a different approach and I’ve been very unapologetic about it too (I think I’m growing up?)
For the first couple of weeks, I pulled right back on everything. I closed the clinic for two weeks. I let calls go to voicemail. I moved through my days so slowly, as slowly as I wanted. It wasn’t because I couldn’t get up. It’s because I didn’t want to fall down.
Mum and dad live in a beautiful coastal town and I made it work for me. I set up this little morning routine for myself:
I’d walk along the water to the main town.
I bought my coffee at the marina.
I walked along the water to where dad used to have Friday morning coffees with his best mate.
I sat. I reflected. I cried.
I walked back.
Sometimes I swam.
I did yoga.
It took a couple of hours. It was like running water on a burn.
The rest of the time was with close family. We hugged tight. We reminisced. We went through old photos, his music (he was a long time radio DJ. He had days and days of music). We drank his beloved red wine and sometimes his scotch (I’ll never be a fan, sorry dad!). I journalled. We fished. We swam.
I’m back in my crazy Melbourne life now. Things are stupid busy as always but I have kept protecting my space and time. It’s needed.
