In Heavy Is the Hurricane, Tyla felt as if her world had ended and she was ready to leave this life not knowing that the best was yet to come. As is so often the case, our minds hemorrhage and bleed false demons that block our sight of the light that is just around the corner.

To be human means to allow one’s self to feel all of life, all of its tragedies, magic, and miracles. It means to be aware of and vulnerable to that which is occurring around us, to invest in the lives of others, to pay forward empathy and compassion. If we live our lives as such, then grief is not always rooted in physical death. Sometimes it is the consequence of the ebb and flow of life pulling you away from someone, something, or someplace that has become a fundamental part of your makeup.

Writing Tyla’s story allowed me to explore empathy as I experience it in my own life. And also to evaluate what is really important to me, what relationships need fostered and what can be or should be let go.