A friend of mine was recently divorced. Her husband of close to twenty five years just came down to their living room on Christmas Eve and announced that he wanted out of the marriage. (It turns out he had another woman ready to marry VERY shortly after their divorce was final.)
As if the divorce itself wasn’t bad enough (losing the man she had loved and shared her life with) she had to go out and start her working life all over again, in her early fifties.
During the early stage of this awful shock, she would call any time things got unbearable for her. It would break my heart to hear her anguishing despair.
Things have improved for her recently. She has since then gotten a job which she seems to enjoy AND has a boyfriend whom she absolutely loves/adores.
BUT (And you know there is always a “BUT”!!!)…
I get calls from her every once in a while… and can hear the new despair in her voice when she talks about her loneliness every time her boyfriend is off on another international vacation, or when her boyfriend refuses to visit her at her home… preferring that she make the hour commute to see him at his home. She describes how she has nothing to do (other than clean her house) while her boyfriend is unavailable.
I have suggested (several times!) that she take up READING… any genre… There must be one she would enjoy. (Aha! So there is a point to this blog… finally!!!)
But, she continues to drag her feet on the reading. I just cannot imagine that! But, there I go… projecting my likes and dislikes on others and expecting to find solutions to their problems.
I just cannot imagine a world without reading!
PS… Because she doesn’t read, she doesn’t visit the Cozy Mystery Site. As a matter of fact, one time when I finally asked her how I could improve the site, she said she didn’t know since she had never looked at it. So, I know I won’t offend her, although, there I go again… projecting that it is something to be (almost) ashamed of if you don’t read!