Unsolved Problems

Life lesson: Not all problems can be immediately solved.

I met my neighbor on the street yesterday and she was crying. She is having trouble with sleeplessness and heart palpitations. She goes to Urgent Care where they tell her there’s nothing wrong with her. Her heart doctor says there’s nothing wrong with her. When she visits her children, she can sleep.

We both lost our loved ones about the same time last year — her husband and my spouse. We have one-on-one grief counseling on the street, then she goes home to a huge empty house and I go home to my empty house, where it is so quiet. I turn on the TV just to get some noise, but I can’t stand what is on the air. I try to read and can't stand what I am reading. So here we sit, night after night, alone, in front of the TV or the computer, trying to fill our emptiness.

We talked about getting medical marijuana gummies until one of the late night comics performed a skit on it. He spoke about how seniors are falling over from overdoses. Our bodies don’t process the THC as efficiently as when we were young. Also, the levels of THC available at modern dispensaries is much more potent.

My friend told me that one of our neighbors sold her house last summer and moved into a retirement home just so she could have someone with whom to interact. Where we live, almost everyone goes to their summer homes, so the street is much like a ghost town for the entire summer. I go also, so she’s really alone.

As we both attempt to re-enter life, we are faced with different challenges. She tells me she starts having the heart palpitations and shortness of breath at about 3 PM. She knows the symptoms are stress-related, but doesn’t know what to do about it. The doctors, so far, are not helping. She is dreading the summer and the ghost town. I look forward to the summer. I have more people to interact with, therefore more activities.

Right now, we are both in limbo. Solutions are certain to be worked out, but in the meantime I can only listen to her. I can’t solve her problems for her, but I can listen to her.

Just caring for each other is comforting. Our situations will improve. We just have to keep each other aware of that when we most need the reminders.

I hope that you will get in touch with me and tell me how you are doing. I can listen to you also. I care.

Sincerely,

Lynn Brooke

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