There are some experiences that don’t just pass through your life. They are a little more stubborn than that.
They stay.
Not always loudly.
Not always visibly.
But in the way you think…
the way you respond…
the way you understand other people.
Some of those moments come from things you would never choose. Or ever wish upon anyone, even your least favorite person.
Loss.
Disappointment.
Watching something you hoped for… not happen.
In this conversation, Kimball DeLaMare shares what it looks like to move through those kinds of experiences—not by avoiding them, but by letting them change you.
The Kind of Pain You Can’t Prepare For
There are certain things in life you think you understand…
until you actually experience them.
Grief is one of them.
“I’d never really understood how deeply that pain can hit…”
And when it does—
it changes how you see everything. And it changes how you can see everyone.
What Pain Can Teach You (If You Let It)
There’s a version of pain that hardens people.
And there’s another version…
that softens them.
That makes them more aware.
More patient.
More able to sit with someone else’s experience without trying to fix it.
For Kimball, those moments became part of how he shows up in the world.
Not just as a professional—
but as a person. How he treats those in his inner circle, and those who aren’t even in it.
The Part That’s Easy to Miss
From the outside, it can look like someone is just “moving on.”
But what’s really happening is something quieter:
👉 they’re learning how to carry it. Deal with it. Respond to it.
And over time, that changes how they:
- connect with others
- respond to difficulty
- understand what actually matters
When It Starts to Feel Worth It
This is the part that feels complicated.
Because no one would choose the pain. Not me? And I’m guessing certainly, not you either.
Sometimes we beg for it to be taken away. Or ask the question, “why me?”
But there’s a moment where something shifts:
“If I had to go through the path I have… to now have a relationship with that loved one… I think it becomes worth it.”
Not because the pain disappears.
But because something meaningful came from it.
If You’re In That Space Right Now
If you’re going through something that:
- doesn’t make sense yet
- feels heavier than expected
- or hasn’t resolved the way you hoped
this might not be something to fix right away.
It might be something that’s still…
working on you.
Listen to the Full Conversation
🎧 [Embed Main Blog Page Here)
If You Don’t Want This to Fade
📓 [Journal Link]
View comments
+ Leave a comment