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Time to give up? Mourn and accept new health reality?
Neuropathy | Last Active: Mar 5, 2022 | Replies (31)Comment receiving replies
I think that it can be healthy to have times of solitude. My wife and I live out in the country, and most days don't see another person. When weather and health permit, I'm outside in the yard and gardens. No one bothers me then. Generally, I feel better about life during those times. My service dog is never far away from me for very long. She always comes to check on me, and sometimes will lie in the grass and watch me.
I think I know myself enough to know that it's helpful to me to reach out to others. I visit a woman who just celebrated her 104th birthday. I don't know which of us looks forward to those weekly visits more. She's a treasure trove of interesting experiences. She loves that I can look up events and locations on my phone.
Lots of people don't like to be alone. They are happiest in a group of people. Not I.
I say, enjoy your alone time while you can.
Jim
Replies to "@keeptrying I think that it can be healthy to have times of solitude. My wife and..."
@thankful Beautifully written. Far to easy to lose what is in the present bemoaning the things we cannot do. To reverie in the past means not moving forward-even if not as quickly as we once did.
Thank you jimhd. I am learning to embrace solitude. My father loved Thoreau so I am reading his meditations. Your words echo his, I think. I volunteer at a local hospice, just reading and listening. Self pity does not exist there. A butterfly landing on the windowsill is cause for celebration. Makes my losses seem minimal.
Wonderful words of wisdom, thank you. As we speak my orchids bud is just starting to blossom...You never know!☺
I'm glad you work with hospice. I was a volunteer visitor for several years with the local hospice, but I had to resign not too long ago because they made new guidelines and I didn't want to make my service dog a therapy dog. My dog is always with me, and all the patients I visited looked forward to seeing her as much as seeing me. There were a few places my dog didn't go because of other pets in the home, but otherwise I never had a patient who didn't want to see both of us. I was sorry to have to give up my job. I enjoy visiting people. It's good therapy for me, almost as much as for them.
Jim
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@keeptrying Once again I find myself mulling over your current post wondering if I have a word for you? I'm not the type of person that wants to respond to everything that is out there. Sometimes I find that it is better to allow each of us the space to say something without even a response. That often signals a point in our journey where we feel brave enough to verbalize what is going on in our heart.
Here is what I sense I need to say. Never give up. Have Hope.
If we look around us there are so many hurting people who don't have this opportunity as we do on Connect to put out our words of asking for advice, sharing our concerns or simply feeling we are out of words.
Even under "normal circumstances" as we age there are things that we once engaged in that we find difficulty doing now. I know that is very true for me. I would rather dwell on the new season about to spring forward as I watch the days go by. New growth, children laughing, the hum of lawn movers. Change is afoot! I pray that today your focus get be on hope, loving others and allowing others to love you. Never give up! @thankful.