"Old friends pass away, new friends appear.
It is just like the days.
An old day passes, a new day arrives.
The important thing is to make it meaningful:
a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day."
- Dalai Lama -
As we get older, good friendships are harder to find and even harder to hold on to. My mother had a good friend until she was in her early 70s, then her best friend passed away. My dad was already gone and that left her alone. Fortunately, she was able to make a new good friend at the church she started to attend, but it was never the same. That's the down side to aging.
The up side to aging is this: My mother lost her best friend, but she was smart enough to go out and get involved with women at a church and she made new friends who were about her same age. They may not have ever filled the space of her best friend, but it helped. That's the thing about aging and being alone. If you lock yourself away in a house and never go anywhere where people are, you will never make any new friends to help with the loss of your long time friends who have passed.
"Fear makes strangers of people
who would be friends."
- Shirley MacLaine -
The lesson is, get out of the house.
Here are a few places where you can find people and hopefully make new friends:
1. Churches
2. Book clubs at the public library
3. Bowling leagues
4. Quilt Guilds
5. Knitting Clubs
6. Continuing education classes at local community colleges
(most of these should be free)
7. Volunteer organizations: Volunteer and you will meet other volunteers
8. Clubs: Any club that does what you are interested in. A hiking club,
travel club, board game club,
cooking clubs, etc.
9. YMCA or a Gym (can be a bit pricey, but if you can afford it, you can get exercise and meet people)
10. Any place where there are people, try to get involved. Stay on the legal side 😊 and
I don't recommend bars or other such places. Those are not the best places to meet people.
If you live long enough, you will experience loss of companions. Don't forget those companions that have passed away, but don't get lost in your sorrow. Meeting other people, even for short periods of time, will help to ease the pain and provide a different kind of companionship.
Also, remember to stay busy. Fill your life with things you enjoy doing. It's not all that bad to spend time with the really best friend of your life: YOU!
"The best time to make friends is before you need them."
- Ethel Barrymore -
Have you lost a dear friend or family member to death or illness? How did you handle that loss? Do you make an effort to meet new people? Where do you go and how do meet new people? Share any tips, ideas, or thoughts that may help others who are feeling the loneliness of loss.
XOXO
It is just like the days.
An old day passes, a new day arrives.
The important thing is to make it meaningful:
a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day."
- Dalai Lama -
As we get older, good friendships are harder to find and even harder to hold on to. My mother had a good friend until she was in her early 70s, then her best friend passed away. My dad was already gone and that left her alone. Fortunately, she was able to make a new good friend at the church she started to attend, but it was never the same. That's the down side to aging.
The up side to aging is this: My mother lost her best friend, but she was smart enough to go out and get involved with women at a church and she made new friends who were about her same age. They may not have ever filled the space of her best friend, but it helped. That's the thing about aging and being alone. If you lock yourself away in a house and never go anywhere where people are, you will never make any new friends to help with the loss of your long time friends who have passed.
"Fear makes strangers of people
who would be friends."
- Shirley MacLaine -
The lesson is, get out of the house.
Here are a few places where you can find people and hopefully make new friends:
1. Churches
2. Book clubs at the public library
3. Bowling leagues
4. Quilt Guilds
5. Knitting Clubs
6. Continuing education classes at local community colleges
(most of these should be free)
7. Volunteer organizations: Volunteer and you will meet other volunteers
8. Clubs: Any club that does what you are interested in. A hiking club,
travel club, board game club,
cooking clubs, etc.
9. YMCA or a Gym (can be a bit pricey, but if you can afford it, you can get exercise and meet people)
10. Any place where there are people, try to get involved. Stay on the legal side 😊 and
I don't recommend bars or other such places. Those are not the best places to meet people.
If you live long enough, you will experience loss of companions. Don't forget those companions that have passed away, but don't get lost in your sorrow. Meeting other people, even for short periods of time, will help to ease the pain and provide a different kind of companionship.
Also, remember to stay busy. Fill your life with things you enjoy doing. It's not all that bad to spend time with the really best friend of your life: YOU!
"The best time to make friends is before you need them."
- Ethel Barrymore -
Have you lost a dear friend or family member to death or illness? How did you handle that loss? Do you make an effort to meet new people? Where do you go and how do meet new people? Share any tips, ideas, or thoughts that may help others who are feeling the loneliness of loss.
XOXO
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