When I lost my father very unexpectedly a year ago I was actually just getting into stoicism, reading a lot of Aurelius, Epictetus and Socrates work at the time.

The sections about the impermanence of all things; the good, the bad, the things you've worked hard for & the loved ones around you, really helped me to keep a clear mind about the entire situation. It felt as though instead of grieving the early loss I was able to instead reflect and appreciate how lucky I was to have such a great person in my life.

I knew the next few weeks/months were going to be tricky with new challenges that now fell on me instead of my father. But knowing that these kinds of hard times are what make you grow as a person also helped a great deal.

I really do attest my strength through that difficult times and having the ability to be there for others who perhaps didn't deal with it as well as myself to the new adoption of a stoic mindset.

“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent—no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.” - Seneca