Hi there, it's Micah Kilbond, producer of The Slowdown.

Today's guest episode is hosted by the poet and editor Leslie Signs.

I hope you enjoy, and rest assured that Major will return to the host chair on July 1st.

I'm Leslie Signs, and this is the slowdown.

I'm Leslie Signs,

and this is the slowdown.

When someone in my life, an acquaintance, a coworker, a friend or beloved,

experiences a tremendous loss, I am acutely reminded of how language fails us.

We give out heartfelt condolences such as, I'm sorry for your loss, my deepest sympathy, or thinking of you during these difficult times.

But they do not resurrect the dead and rarely comfort the living.

Logically, I know there's nothing I can say to someone experiencing profound grief

that will neutralize their hurt or eradicate it entirely.

But the empathetic desire to try anyway,

to dig deep and find a unique combination of words

that offer the ultimate wellspring of support,

thoughtfulness, and care feels worthy of striving for.

Still, if you're anything like me, it's all too easy to overthink your

approach. Does the phrase, I can only imagine what you're feeling right now.

Alienate the other person's emotions?

Does offering your thoughts and prayers to an individual run as hollow as it does when given in the wake of preventable mass tragedies?

What I know for certain is this, experiencing grief is as nuanced as our relationships to the deceased.

When we speak to each other in these immensely vulnerable moments,

...