Geography of Loss

This extraordinary book is borne of loss: the loss of love, of certainty and assuredness, of knowing where we are or who we are, of beauty and youth, of health, of life itself, of privacy, and of roles and of knowing.

When someone or something we love leaves us, we suddenly walk alone into new territory without them. We become strangers in new lands, places where the landscape is unalterably changed, where the center of gravity has somehow faltered and become weak, making us feel as if we might fall off the surface of the earth. Sometimes, that moment of loss defines the rest of our lives, becoming a center to our compass forever. This unique book is a guidebook, an atlas of those experiences of loss and grief, a map for living through and into change and impermanence, to moving on anew. You are the navigator through the three main sections:   

Embrace what is: walk into your new landscape

Honor what was: be grateful for your old landscape

Love what will be: live into your future landscape

Illustrated throughout with art submitted from around the world, this book is an atlas of experience, utilizing map imagery and the richly metaphoric, evocative, and functional language of geography to help you place yourself on your own journey, to find your way through helpful exercises and an empathetic, expert guide.

"If I was in the midst of a terrible loss, I would want to spend time with Patti Digh. She has a powerful way of acknowledging the dark while pointing to the light. A warm friend and a wise guide, this book will help you open to a new reality, find balance in your grief, and move forward into a new day."

 --Susan Piver, author of The Wisdom of a Broken Heart

"This book offers companionship on a difficult journey that most take alone because it is hard to bear, let alone convey, the truth of loss. Digh gently navigates these ways with beauty, tenderness and candor." 

--Mary Anne Radmacher, author of Lean Forward Into Your Life

A guidebook for your journey into and through the landscape of loss. We all experience different forms of loss in our lives. Some are powerful enough to truly knock us off course. This book will help you find your way back.

Patti Digh is the bestselling author of Life is a Verb: 37 days to Wake Up, Be Mindful and Live Intentionally. Based on her popular blog, 37days.com, Life is a Verb contains stories Patti was called to share following the death of her stepfather just 37 days after he was diagnosed with cancer. Patti is a Southern-born master storyteller whose tales are full of humor, poignancy, surprise, pain, and knowing. Through her writing, teaching, speaking and retreats, Patti’s focus is on helping others open space in their lives in order to love well, live fully, let go deeply, and make a difference. Patti is also the author of three other books: Creative Is a Verb, Four-Word Self-Help and What I Wish for You.  She and her family live (intentionally) in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. Visit her at PattiDigh.com.