A FEW years ago, my boyfriend died. His sudden, bewildering death left me in shock and denial. For months, I reeled from the gut-wrenching loss, essentially on autopilot mode, and today there is little I remember from that time.

Of the few things that did stick in my mind, foremost were the kindness, compassion and generosity shown by friends, family, co-workers and strangers alike.

In particular, my boss at the firm where I was working then simply told me, without hesitation, to take as much time off as I needed. There was no probing for details, no questions as to whether this “loved one” – as I put it – was an immediate family member, no request to see a death certificate, and no deadline imposed on my bereavement.