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  • Leigh driving away from grief
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    Sorry For Your Loss: Escaping Then Accepting Grief

    The new normal that exists after the death of a loved one is full of tears, uncertainty, and exhaustion. Life takes on a whole new meaning, and even the most menial of activities is transformed by grief. Those left behind often feel guilty when they find themselves happy or when they momentarily think of something […] More

  • two women go through a photograph album
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    Sorry For Your Loss: Reflecting on the Past & Accepting the Future

    After losing someone you had planned to spend the rest of your life with, especially immediately and unexpectedly, your worldview is shaken, and your past, as well as your future, is forever altered. The pain of the questions regarding your loved one’s history (which you will never have answers to) is a devastating blow when […] More

  • Leigh driving away from grief
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    Sorry For Your Loss: Depression and Perspective

    In the previous article I wrote about Sorry for Your Loss, I mentioned how powerful a decision it was on behalf of series creator Kit Steinkellner to withhold the cause of Matt’s death. I cited that the reason he died wasn’t as important as seeing what his life meant to the people closest to him. […] More

  • Olsen plays Leigh. Grief written all over her face
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    Sorry For Your Loss: The Human Struggle of Grief and Finding the Resolve to Rebuild

    Thinking of you. Sending you love. Deepest condolences. Sorry for your loss. These exchanged between well-meaning people to those experiencing a loss come flooding in immediately after a death. The further removed from the date of the death, the less commiseration one receives until they stop completely and you’re reminded that the only person that […] More

  • Gary Shandling at the Zen Diaries
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    The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling

    Whether you know Garry Shandling from his standup comedy, his brilliant masterpiece in deconstruction, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, his groundbreaking examination of ego and interpersonal relationships, The Larry Sanders Show, or even if you don’t know of Garry Shandling at all, the documentary detailing the life and rise of the comic is essential viewing for the human […] More

  • Mad Men main characters lined up
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    Mad Men Part 4: Legacy, Life, and Love

    The air of silent death has overshadowed the latter half of the Mad Men series. Through all of their personal and professional changes, each character has grown more cognizant of the importance of their lives. The final two seasons of the series show decisions being made solely to satisfy the needs of the future rather […] More

  • Mad Men main characters lined up
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    Mad Men Part 3: Breaking the Chains of Expectation

    The second and third seasons of Mad Men illustrated in great detail how the characters in the series were confined by either their gender, sexual orientation, or place in the world. Their confinement dictated their position in their homes, their companies, and often, within themselves. Mad Men pulled audiences into the stifling 1960’s, an era where […] More

  • Mad Men main characters lined up
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    Mad Men Part 2: The Limitations of Self on Madison Avenue in the 1960s

    The 1960s in America represented a time of great turmoil. The decade saw the murders of a president and a civil rights leader, the threat of a nuclear missile attack, and a war. The decade also began the shift away from the 1950s expectations of marriage and family along with working the same job, whether […] More

  • Mad Men main characters lined up
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    Mad Men Part 1: Foreshadowing the Past

    There is a reason why Mad Men is considered one of the greatest shows to ever air on television. AMC truly broke the mold when it came to detailing the lives of the advertisers working on Madison Avenue, Mad Men, as they reportedly called themselves. A period drama set predominately in the 1960’s, and despite […] More