Some people lose their parents through death or divorce. Others feel a loss when a sister or brother goes off to college or marries. Or when we move to a new town and lose our friends. Some of us mourn the loss of childhood, or of a childhood dream. Sometimes bodies betray us.
Young ballerinas become too big-chested to perform professionally.
High school valedictorians discover that they are only average students once they attend a good college. We also lose face after wetting the bed at camp, receiving a a scolding from the teacher in front of the class, or being demoted from the first reading group. Friendships and love relationships leave us especially vulnerable to loss. Your best friend may betray you, or move away. Your boyfriend may leave you for another girl.