Thanks @hopeful33250 - Yes, you have the memories of what "used to be", but they are memories. The cruel and unforgiving part of this disease is that you've lost what "used to be" and you've also lost "what might have been" in the future. At least for me, that can set me up for a full scale melt down if I dwell too long on it. I understand your friends adaptation to dinner in front of TV. We do that frequently, and when we go on trips, I turn on NPR or Pandora - because I miss those long car rides where it was easy to chat and plan for the trip and just connect. I think that's why it is doubly important to maintain time with friends and other family members to fill that gap and not feel so isolated. I remember not too long ago recalling what it was like many years ago for the short time I was a stay at home mom with an infant. What a joy it was when I had a chance to get out among people and talk to adults... That's kind of where I am now. And at the same time, my heart just breaks for my husband because on some level, he recognizes that he too has lost "what used to be" and what "might have been."

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