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CONSIDER THIS with Annette Petrick

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lonely

Poverty of Loneliness

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Backstory  

Social contact elevates the human spirit. Without it, people withdraw and don’t do as well. It’s particularly difficult for the elderly. Yet social isolation was demanded of us during the pandemic. One friend spent 14 months alone in her apartment without seeing a single person at her door. 

Aging itself is often responsible for some loss of social contact.  Friends die! They don’t mean to leave; they just have no choice. One single friend said she deliberately helps friends out, hoping she will be offered help when she needs it.

Poverty of Loneliness

The poverty of loneliness.  It’s often suffered by the elderly who live alone or may no longer get around easily. This may lead to a lack of human touch – no hugs or handshakes, no faces smiling back. One time, I saw this issue dramatically addressed, of all things, by a group of teenagers.

An improv group I worked in was invited to perform a skit for high school students.  We were to introduce the kids to the kinds of public service they might undertake as they entered the adult world.

The key character in our skit was an old man who lived alone. He got a phone call daily to be sure he was OK.  The person calling this day was abrupt and business like, more anxious to get the calls over with, than to chat.

Then she realized that this call was the only contact he had each day, with the outside world.  He was very lonely. Her call had made his day brighter ad more promising.

The skit had the desired impact on the teens. Inspired, several volunteered to make such calls. The only problem was, there was no such service. We made it up, for the purpose of our skit.

But the idea had gathered so much traction that the teenagers wound up creating such a group.  Young people who called elderly folks daily, just to say hello. 

These kids made a difference because the improv players hit on such a great idea to address the poverty of loneliness.

P.S.   So how do you make new friends when you’re old?  The basic truth is – it’s up to you to reach out. If that gets you out of your comfort zone, that’s OK. It will be worth the effort, even if you have to try more than once.  Like card games? Seek a card club. Don’t know that game? Learn it. Check out organizations and clubs. Volunteer at a thrift shop.  Attend a senior center or volunteer at one.  Think service and watch new social interaction blossom into friendship.

[Show #662]

Filed Under: Advice and Encouragement, Family and Friendship, Memories and Aging Well Tagged With: loneliness, lonely, senior volunteers

When Christmas Is Sad

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Christmas Stories - Amazon link

Backstory  

On my sad Christmases, I would write. The keys on my computer would fly. It might be spilling all my sorrow, putting my anger into words, shouting out the injustice of my circumstance. Others shed tears to cope. Some go away, avoiding the setting of their last happy holiday.  Others return to that special place. Some folks are lost, seeking a means to calm the hurt.

Click to listen or follow below to read.

Christmas Sad – #123

There are times when Christmas is sad. You may be missing a loved one, or you may be far away from home, on your own, or you may be the one left behind with your loved one serving of a battlefield halfway across the world. Sometimes it helps to remember not only this sad Christmas, but all of them, stacked up in a row from childhood until now.

Considering all of the holidays in our lifetime, some are bound to be better than others. But, ah, the good ones were really fine. Think about them and you’ll simply HAVE to smile as you remember words and actions, laughter and love.

Take out photos and relive those times, so warm and loving. No one can take those precious memories away. They may be the greatest gift we were given. Once a good thing happens, it can always be conjured up again in your mind. It can always make you smile as you remember, relive and enjoy it all over again. 

So this Christmas, whether it’s one of your best or not, may you have the comfort of memories of Christmases past and may you smile and enjoy them all over again.

Wishing you a Christmas with a peaceful heart.

P.S.   

It’s so easy to become sour when holiday plans go awry or you are sad. You want to blame someone or take it out on somebody. Instead, do something for someone else – or a lot of elses.

  • Take over someone’s job so they can be home with family on Christmas.
  • Serve at a soup kitchen – dressed up nicely for the holiday.
  • Sit with someone who is ill, so the caregiver can be with family.

As the holidays rush upon us, don’t become the Grinch who stole Christmas.  Help bring peace on earth to your little corner of the world, no matter what. 

[Show #123]

Filed Under: Advice and Encouragement, Christmas and Holidays, Laughter, Joy, and Gratitude, Love and Kindness Tagged With: Christmas, encouragement, feelings, gratitude, lonely, memories, sad, unhappy

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