Fantasy realms offer a place to escape when our own world is too intense, too boring, too heartbroken

The idea of being present with your grief might evoke virtuous images of letting ashes blow in the wind like dandelion seeds, days spent flipping through family photo albums, or crossing the finish line of a charity run in honor of your person. Grief at different times in your journey might look like all those things to you.

Perhaps your life might call for you to find the off switch. Or if there’s not one to be found, to turn the volume up on something else in your life to drown out the noise that all this grappling with death can stir up. Fantasy football. National politics. FBoy Island.