These are really hard times for some older people.

[DarleenMB]

48. I don't find it scary

so much as I find it lonely. Yes, I'm in that group. 73 and lost my husband 10-18. We had no children. Closest family is over 300 miles away in Colorado. My sister (70) is dealing with her husbands failing mental health. He has been diabetic for 30 years and is now suffering increasing dementia. Her son lives in London but her daughter is only about 40 miles away.

I have my 3 cats and no nearby neighbors.

I have been in therapy, off and on, for several years. Thank god for my therapist who held my hand for several months when Joe died. I "see" her (via Zoom these days) every other week. She has been SUCH a help through all of this. And yeah, she's the same age as I am so she "gets" it as well.

I have a close friend who checks in via tweets every morning and every evening. I appreciate that more than I can say. She started doing that when Joe died and has continued ever since.

I also connected with a former high school classmate via FB. turns out we're practically "twins." LOL. We both wish we had sought each other out in high school. But better late than never.

If your friends aren't on social media, it's a good venue to feel connected. Their messaging service now includes video conferencing and they've just added "rooms." So much easier than Zoom for the computer challenged.