Few of us escape the losses that come with aging. If we’re lucky, and we live a good long life, it’s inevitable that friends and loved ones will pass away before we do, leaving us with the turmoil and trauma that are part of the grieving process. What’s not inevitable is whether we respond to grief in a way that paralyzes us or whether we figure out a way, however idiosyncratic, to accept and process the losses and move on with our lives.

There’s no doubt that the emotional turmoil from grief can leave us with physical ailments along with deeply felt distress. Yet there are numerous examples of older adults who have suffered losses and come out on the other side with important experiential wisdom to share about how to move on with your life. In a recent article in The Philadephia Inquirer, a group of seniors offered their valuable and personal insights as to how they processed their grief in a way so as to continue on with meaningful, even joyful lives. And one other recent source of personal experience when it comes to grief is Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of many best selling books, including Eat Pray Love. Having recently lost her partner to cancer, Gilbert has been generous in publicly sharing her experience of grief and how she has coped. She recently sat down with Chris Anderson of TED to record a podcast about her grief. To read an excerpt of the interview, take a look here.