I’ve learned that grief is like static, it buzzes through the most mundane moments. No one warned me about the absurd and ordinary moments that make up real grieving ― that there would be no ceremony in picking up ashes, or the surreal choreography of TSA screenings, or how a stranger’s joke would collapse me mid-aisle.
I wrote this hoping that if we talked about these things more, really talked about them, maybe fewer people would feel so alone in the wreckage. Maybe we’d all be a little gentler. A little more careful with our words. A little more ready for what loss actually looks like.
After all, we all came here on a round-trip ticket.
Rosi Golan is a singer, songwriter and writer living in Los Angeles. You can find more of her work at https://rosigolan.substack.com and her music on all streaming platforms.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost in June 2026.
