Life after loss — Stevie West on early widowhood and the gift of suffering

Worst Thing Ever

Welcome to my little podcast, where I talk to new and old friends about the worst things they have ever experienced.

This podcast is premised on the belief that suffering not only cannot be banished from the world, but that it should not be. Just as much as we need love, beauty, and connection, we also need trials and challenges. It is in the combination of these things that our lives take on depth and meaning. And sometimes, by connecting with others through our suffering, our losses can be redeemed.

In this inaugural episode I interview one of my oldest friends, Stevie West, who was widowed with two children before the age of 30. She describes the often overwhelming despair and sense of detachment from the world that followed the death of her husband, and explains how her belief in the ultimate goodness of the universe allowed her maintain an appreciation for the comic dimension of life (the comic being closely related to the tragic).

Because we hadn't caught up in a couple years, in the latter part of our conversation Stevie turns the tables on me, so listeners will also get a little bit of my personal history, helpfully devoid of context.