Handling The Hard Stuff

Category: Death

  • Are your Affairs in Order?

    **This is not legal advice. If you want legal advice consult an attorney that practices in your jurisdiction.** We see on television or in movies whenever there is a terminal diagnosis that people should “get their affairs in order”. But what does that mean? In the United States at least, it means be clear about…

  • You Don’t Have to Be Whole to Shine

    Even at funerals people smile and laugh. In the throes of the worst divorce cases, I’ve watched clients find moments of happiness. It is ok – and incredibly important – to find good moments even in the midst of awfulness. The longer we live life, the more likely we are to have dents and scars…

  • Living with Pain

    Trauma and loss and regret can be so all-consuming. Often times those uncontrollable feelings come up out of nowhere. You think you have a handle on your pain and emotions and all of a sudden you’re ugly crying in the middle of a store because you see a shirt that brings back a memory. You’re…

  • Prepare for the Worst

    I’m a big proponent of hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. I like contingencies, but I also like safeguards. The basics to cover to be generally prepared for the worst things: (caveats – 1. this is probably only applicable in the US but I’ll try to be broad enough that it’s useful…

  • Legacy Building

    A lot of us are the first in our family to do a thing. For some it’s to complete a certain level of education. For others it’s to have a certain type of job or comfort level. Regardless, you and your ancestors have worked hard to get where you are. Once you have achieved a…

  • Celebrate the Small Moments

    When you’re dealing with hard things, everything feels hard and sad and frustrating and exhausting. But sometimes you can find good small moments in a day full of awful. A friend was recently discussing dealing with the suicide of a long time friend of hers. She felt guilty for laughing at a meme online that…

  • Hard to Handle: Death

    What happens if you die? Not to be morbid or a downer (although, really that’s what lawyers are trained to be), but do you have a plan for what happens if you die? I know this is something a lot of people don’t want to think about. It’s hard. Imagining your kids being raised by…