Beauty Out of Focus
/ Photogrief : Eleanor Haley
This essay is a part of WYG's PhotoGrief project. The goal of the PhotoGrief project is to create a space where people can explore and express their grief through pictures. Learn more about the project here.
People always talk about the transformative nature of grief. Typically I agree, sometimes our sad, challenging, and scary experiences have the capacity to reveal strength and beauty in the most unlikely places.
I've noticed, though, that the people who talk about the "transformative nature" of tough circumstances are never actually standing in the thick of it. It's never the person who is lost in a sea of grief or depression, it's always someone calling to them from the shore saying, "Things sure are beautiful here. Just imagine how strong you'll feel when you're standing on dry land."
When things are bad, really really bad, many of us are blind to the upside of anything. We may be aware that beauty exists somewhere in some far off future, but at that moment it's simply unclear and out of focus. It's true that growth and resiliency are often by-products of our struggles, but this is a truth that must be discovered by each individual in their own time.
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