Carole Brody Fleet Happily EVEN After
Carole: We always feel better when we are in service to others. It is a fact. When we are compelled to look outside of ourselves and our own dynamic and get involved by reaching out to others in need and work to enrich lives, that’s the only “will” you need.
Omtimes: There’s nothing funny about being widowed. What do you mean when you refer to the “lighter side” of widowhood?
Carole: The “lighter side” of widowhood is a way of taking situations that can be very hurtful or filled with trepidation, putting a humorous slant on them and then teaching ways to move through those situations. For example, people can and do say some pretty ridiculous things to the widowed (and their children). Rather than letting those things destroy relationships, we examine what has or is being said, laugh about it if we can and then learn how we can move past it and possibly even educate those who surround the widowed what to say and do instead.
Another “lighter side” example of widowhood involves re-entry into the World of Dating. This can be a “minefield” for the widowed and it is filled with a certain amount of fear. Using my own previous dating experiences (which border on the hysterically funny), I teach how to navigate the World of Dating without fear and recognizing that a widow/er’s new life can and should include companionship and love if they choose it.
Omtimes: What were some of the lessons and experiences that you felt were especially necessary to communicate?
Carole: Learning how to take control of one’s own “healing journey” is one of the most important messages that we teach. The bereaved are being barraged with the opinions of those around them; not all of which are especially sensitive, supportive or even positive. One of my main goals is to teach the widowed how to find their “inner voice” and to actually use it.
Also extremely important is learning that just by being on this planet, all of us are entitled to live a life full of happiness and abundance. Too many in the widowed community believe that their lives end along with the lives of their spouses and I am constantly working to change that belief system.
