I’m pretty sure I found Owning Pink via Twitter (yet another testimonial to the social networking behemoth).  I am always on the lookout for other women who I think are doing admirable things in their life and work and I get especially excited when I see someone combining the two for maximum results. 

Lissa Rankin of OwningPink.com just hosted a workshop entitled “Owning Joy After Loss,”  a program created for widows, but applicable to anyone who’s suffered a loss of identity of any kind: after death, divorce, or unemployment.  Lissa and her mom conceived the idea after her father passed away a few years ago.  In the days prior, she had given birth to her first child and buried a beloved pet.  Yowza.  Talk about emotional overload.    

Here is an excerpt from her blog about the workshop.  If you are interested in learning more about Lissa, check out the rest of her post here:

After Loss, Your Identity Dies

“When you experience loss- whether you’ve lost a loved one, gotten divorced, quit or been fired from your job, face an empty nest, or been diagnosed with a serious illness- you experience a sort of death.  Your life as you knew it is over.  If you’re a widow like these women, you are no longer anyone’s wife.  If you’re getting divorced, you’re no longer a married person.  If you’ve lost your job as a legal secretary, you’re no longer a legal secretary.  If your kids are off to college, you’re no longer a stay-at-home Mom.  If you have cancer, you’re no longer well.  These little deaths must be grieved- and that takes time.  Not only have you experienced loss, your entire identity has now shifted.  You may feel that after being SOMETHING, you are now NOTHING.  And you are not alone in feeling that way.” 

It’s Okay To Feel Rootless

“There’s a reason we’re not leading this workshop for widows who have just lost someone.  Some time has passed for them.  When the wounds are fresh, it’s almost impossible to Own Joy.  You feel like a nobody in nowhereland on a path to nothing with nobody.  And that’s okay. That’s how you’re supposed to feel when you’ve lost your whole sense of who you are.  Don’t judge yourself, attempt to fast-forward the process, or skip this important step.  This nothingness is fertile ground for what lies ahead for you- rebirth.” 

Pretty good stuff, huh? These words really resonated with me as I went through all of these phases - and in fact, are still going through some of them.  It helped to read her words, and the words of some of the other women who have sludged through so much muck, I almost feel guilty about what I considered to be my own hardships/setbacks.  As you can tell from the tagline of this site, I really believe that camaraderie is what gets us through the tough times.  You can journal yourself into oblivion and open up your chakras all you want, but I stand by the fact that NOTHING beats being able to talk about stuff with other people who have been where you are.  It’s not wallowing, it’s relating.  And without the ability to relate to one another, we have no real basis for transformative experiences.  So, if you are feelin’ what I’m saying, read the rest of her post.    

Cheers.