Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Walking For Grief in Depressing Rogers Park

While walking along the McCormick Ave path I spied a lawn sign inviting all to "Walk for Grief" this coming Saturday in Rogers Park.

We've all seen those women each spring in their pink T-shirts walking for breast cancer and Evanston has its annual "Walk Against Hate" where all the liberal hatemongers drain the venom from their spleens, but this "Walk for Grief" is a new one on me.

Who sits around and dreams these things up?

The "Walk for Grief" website urges us to:

"Walk with us to honor grief and mourning,
Walk with us for comfort and courage,
Walk with us to raise money for grief therapy."


Now I don't know about you, but if I was seriously depressed, on a bright shiny Saturday spring morning, about the last thing I'd need would be to hook up with a bunch of morose mopes and walk with them along one of the most depressing parts of the Chicago lakefront.

That is not "just what the doctor ordered", unless you happen to be under the treatment of Dr. Kevorkian.

When confronted by grief from something like a breakup with your girlfriend or -- even worse -- the loss of a beloved dog -- I recommend the Irish wake therapy.


Unlike the Italians who would weep and wail at funerals, the fun-loving Irish would throw a big bash in honor of the deceased. Replete with much liquid refreshment, it would serve to take the edge off the loss.

At one particularly memorable such event in the 1800s, the casket of the faithfully departed was propped up by 3 chairs in the middle of the living room. As the party increased in number, booze level falling, hilarity level rising, there arose need for more seating for the guests.

So several of the Irish revellers took the casket and propped it up in the corner so that they could use the chairs. When the priest came in and saw the partying mourners and casket propped up in the corner, he bellowed with his brogue: "This is a sacrilege -- right now -- let's have three chayers for the deceased."

To which the mourners responded:

Hip, Hip, HOORAY!!!
Hip, Hip, HOORAY!!!
Hip, Hip, HOORAY!!!

Be sure to let me know how that 9 am Saturday Grief Walk at Loyola Park works out for you. Oh yeah, it only costs $55 per family or $20 per person. That ought to cheer you up.

2 comments:

  1. Grief walk? My goodness! Well, the proverb is "misery loves company" so I guess a grief walk is only going along with that. Hm

    Have a joke for you - an ethnic joke! LOL

    What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish wake?

    *
    *
    *
    One less drunk.
    *rimshot* :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's a good one. I had another thought on the grief counseling -- apparently there haven't been enough school shooting rampages or school fires for to keep the grief counseling establishment rolling in school district cash, so they have to resort to walk-a-thon fundraisers.

    ReplyDelete

Comments invited, however anonymous commentors had better deal directly with the issues raised and avoid ad hominem drivel. As for Teachers' Union seminar writers -- forget about it.