Sometimes, the glass is half empty; sometimes, it is half full. There is much to miss, much to regret, and much to worry about when you are a caregiver, but up to the words 'when you are a caregiver' that pretty much covers much of a life. Sadness is inherent to the human experience. Aspects of my young life were truly awful. There is a litany of woes I could share but do not dwell on. Occasionally, they make a good story. Sometimes, in the telling of the pain, there is a good laugh. After all, I have earned the right to use them however I want. What I learned along the way was that not bouncing back only prolonged the misery. And more surprisingly, if good times do not last forever, neither do the bad times. It is all one Wheel of Fortune circle without a clue where we will land. -- In all this iffiness, when dementia comes along, somehow, we are caught short. If it happens late in life, it seems unfair because things are finally right. If it happens early in life, it seems unfair because there is so much more to do. More than ever now is the time to recall all those hard-earned lessons from the things you have survived. Fill the loneliness with effort that is useful. Find the spaces in your time and mind where there is peace and something lovely. Nurture a plant. Read a book ten pages at a time. Go outside and listen to birdsong. You will remember that you are still alive. The slow loss of someone you love is dreadful. The workload is insane. But here we are. Don't deny it. Isn't acceptance the first step towards any recovery? Then, try to make things better. What we do with it will tell us whether our glass is half empty or half full. GloRo