Coronavirus, cancer and all alone

I'm so sorry. These have been some rough times but being alone only makes it much worse. I live in a 55+ community and I'd say 25% of the people here are alone. I am lucky I have my husband and he has been keeping me amused. Both of us are helping out other people here. We know we're supposed to be confined but when a single man here, fell and broke his right arm, with no relatives nearby, what can you do? Somehow he has to get to the doctor's office, the pharmacy, to the grocery store and bank. We've made meals for him as have others in our community. I have been having a friend over. She's an RN but has been through some really tough times and mentally is not in a good place right now. We've done crafts and played cards. 

Mental health is just as important as physical health! They keep talking about "essential activities" but don't take into consideration that maybe human contact is also "essential." 

I pray you're able to find a support system and this virus runs its course quickly!!

Love,

Eldri

I have always been a big reader and writer. Last week I got down my family history and decided to get a timeline of my mother's life. I had heard her stories all my life but had never known how old she was when things happened. So I laid out a time line from 1905 to 1984 and wrote her age. Then inserted dates of things I knew. It was fascinating to learn that she was older than she had seemed to me when telling her story. It made me contact several cousins to get dates they had of her sisters and then got carried away filling in all the blanks. Then I started writing the stories she had shared and was able to write - she was 13 years old, etc.  

Now I am not suggesting you do the same, but you might have a similar project. I have also signed up for Master Class which for $180 opens doors to wonderful topics taught by excellent teachers. I listened to Helen Merren on Portia's speech and decided she is better actor than teacher. But Dan Brown swept me away writing a novel.

I will also admit that I never feel alone. From the earliest age, I talked to a friend in my head. Actually, out loud until my mother thought I had someone hidden in the bathroom with me! Then I just talked inside my head. Oh the adventures we did share. So I happily admit that anytime I feel lonely, I talk to my heart friend and often forget she is not real. Google talking to oneself and you'll see it is quite healthy!.

I hope you feel less alone after our visit here. Stay strong, this too shall pass. df

Also sending hugs!  I am blessed to have my husband with me. (He did some grocery shopping today while hungry, so we have plenty of food now including snacks!) My mom went to an urgent care 11 days ago, but was sent home to her independent living. She is quarantined to her room for 2 weeks. Some of the family have been doing FaceTime with her and that has helped her. I have started a project of transferring old camcorder tapes to DVD. I also need to catch up on my journals. Like Donna Faye said, maybe there is some forgotten project that you could work on. For me, the very best way to get out of the dumps is to listen to my worship playlist. Praying for you!

We always feel good when we dig in the ground. As a young girl, I always had a horse and I would ride for hours and pour out my teenage soul to my horse. You made me remember that and the hours came flooding back. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I am going for a ride when we are free to do so.

Hang in there!  Great to hear you're going outside and doing productive things.  You can see people, as long as you stay over 27 feet away.  I take long walks with my girlfriends in my suburband neighborhood, walking on opposite sides of the street, shouting our conversation (which gets especially loud when my hard of hearing friend forgets to put in her hearing aids!).  Well, I figure it's entertainment for the rest of the neighborhood.  And phone calls and videochat visits with friends and family help too.  And we are here for each other!