It’s been a bit of a tough week here. We went to a funeral today for one of Charles’ colleagues and friends, Anju. Her husband was recently diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and she was obviously overwhelmed because on Saturday she took her own life. So, along with the loss and heartache comes guilt on top of it all. Everyone is asking themselves if they could have reached out more.
And the thing of it, too, is that she was one of those amazing people who was not only brilliant at her job (the CFO and the only woman on the leadership team, always completely on top of every aspect of the company, and always strong and in control) but she genuinely reached beyond the business structures to connect with people on a personal level. She’d always follow up with people after a meeting to make sure they were feeling ok, for example. And when my Mom died, she sent me flowers when I arrived back in Australia.
It’s reminded me how debilitating depression can be. And how easy it can be to miss. It makes me want to hug everyone I know and tell them how much I love them -now, when they can hear it. Why do we leave all the good stuff for the funeral? Why not gather the pictures and the anecdotes and share them together with the guest of honor sitting in the front pew?
Would that have made a difference, I wonder. Probably not. But maybe.
