In My Grief Era

On Saturday I put on a sweatshirt that I bought off Instagram, that says, “In My Grief Era.” 

But here’s the thing: I wasn’t just wearing it around the house. I wore it to our town’s Apple Festival — in front of hundreds of people. Intentional? Maybe. Unconscious? Maybe that too.

And it got me thinking:

What if we welcomed grief like a soft, oversized sweatshirt instead of pushing it away? What if we wore it openly — in words, in tears over coffee, in laughter while telling old stories — instead of tucking it into the shadows?

This is precisely what Grief + Growth is all about. Holding loss out in the open, wearing it, not hiding in it. Remembering we’re in this era together.

The sweatshirt, I saw on an IG account, Girl Meets Grief ). When I ordered it, I half-joked that I, too, was firmly in my grief era and ready to wear it across my chest.

I later posted a photo of myself wearing the sweatshirt enjoying some cotton candy at the Apple Festival, and tagged @Girl_Meets_Grief - When she DM’d me to make sure I loved the sweatshirt, I told her the truth: I did. It was comfortable, cozy, and unexpectedly — a conversation starter. I got hugs. I got knowing looks. It reminded me that grief doesn’t only belong at funerals donned in black suits. It belongs at festivals, in our kitchens, on walks, in laughter, and yes — worn across our chests.

Because this is an era. My mom died, my stepdad is dying, and I know my dad and in-laws will one day be gone too. I can count on both hands the friends who are caring for or losing parents right now. It’s not a season you shake off. It’s an era you live in.

And no, I don’t know if I wore the sweatshirt for attention. But I do know this:

we need to normalize grief and all the ways it shows up. Whether it’s cotton on your skin, salt on your cheeks, or stories that make you laugh and cry at once — wear it!

✨ Shouting out @Girl_Meets_Grief for creating this cozy conversation starter and for helping us normalize the ways we carry loss. Want some grief merch for yourself? Checkout the entire collection here.