How To Fight Loneliness: A (Hopeful) Follow-Up :c)

Hi everyone! Hope everyone is doing well, and is enjoying the arrival of summer. It's been spectacular here in the Boston area so far - which we have more than earned after the hellish winter we endured.

It was very humid here today; I went for my run earlier, and was thoroughly drenched when I finished. Typically this isn't my favorite type of weather, but as I remind myself every day, "At least you don't have to shovel it, Cass." Enough said. :D

On a more serious note, the lovely folks at the Nursing School Hub contacted me recently after reading a recent post here, How To Fight Loneliness. They asked if I could share a thoughtful, inspiring post from their site titled Is Loneliness Lethal? I'm happy and honored to do so.

Among the sobering facts it cites are the following:

• 1 in 3 adults over the age of 45 reported being chronically lonely in a 2010 study, as opposed to 1 in 5 in 2000.
• 1 in 4 say they have no one with whom they can talk about their personal troubles.
• 40% of those surveyed say they feel lonely, compared to 20% in the 1980s.

As the post notes, loneliness has a serious impact on the emotional and physical health of those who suffer from it.

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that way. There are a number of excellent suggestions on what to do to lessen isolation - several of which I can personally vouch for. :D

Please check out Is Loneliness Lethal? when you have a chance; I think you'll be glad you did!

***

I can't think of a better song to accompany this serious-but-hopeful post than one of my personal favorites from The Boss - "Two Hearts," from The River (1980):

I never fail to get goosebumps watching Bruce & Steve sing this together at the same mike. As Bruce himself notes, it's proof positive that "it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive." Amen. :D

Thought for the Day

The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be

***

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

***

You can add up the parts
but you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march
there is no drum
Every heart, every heart
to love will come
but like a refugee

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

== Leonard Cohen, "Anthem"

***

I'm Alive...

And am doing OK. :c)

Much better than the past six weeks, that is certain.

I have so much to write about.

And I will.

But for now, I just want to say thank you to everyone who kept checking in to be sure I was all right.

I was not, for a long while.

But with your help, I am finally moving forward, and am looking ahead to what I think will be a bright future.

Stay tuned, everyone. Love you all!!! :D

***

From Jackson Browne:

Here's Wishing You The Bluest Skies

Happy New Year, everyone. Hope the holidays were good for everyone.

I am still here. But I will not sugarcoat things: the past two weeks, particularly Christmas week, have been the most painful and draining of my life.

I touched on some of what happened with my family in my posts just before Christmas. I learned even more about what happened in the next few days (I spent the holidays apart from my parents and my brother's family) from my sister, who visited me Christmas night with my nephew C.

I will write about the family matters soon, but suffice it to say it confirms everything I suspected, or, really, that I knew all along.

Right now I am as exhausted as I have ever been, other than when I was recovering from mono several years ago. But this is close. I slept for nearly 20 hours on Saturday. Last night I came down with a nasty stomach bug that is going around, and missed work. I slept from about 8:00 AM until nearly 5:00.

I've been meeting regularly with my therapist the past few weeks; we met three times last week, at her suggestion. I'm glad we did. She is concerned about how exhausted I am. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for next week, and I will discuss matters with her at that time.

I carried over a week of vacation with the intent of using it for a trip in the next few months, but I may need to use it before then simply to… well, do nothing. I really want to save it… but not at the expense of getting really sick.

In spite of the enormous heartache and loss of the past two weeks - and as far as I am concerned I am done with my brother and sister-in-law - I am proud of myself. The past two weeks were the culmination of the two and half hardest years of my life.

And I survived.

In fact, I grew enormously. (Well, OK, not my boobs or butt; you can't have everything, I suppose.)

"He" could never have stood up to my parents, or my brother, the way I did. Nor could he have resolved to take the high road no matter what they chose to say or do - and then followed through.

But I did.

I am bruised and battered… but I am done with the worst of it, I suspect.

I will write a new post about my new year's resolution soon. Essentially, it is this: 

I am now going to focus on ME.

I am going to get in the best shape of my life.

I am going to learn how to look my best.

And I am going to embrace my new life. 

Because I earned it.

Look out, 2014. 

Here comes Cass!

:D

***

I've used this song before, but it's such a perfect song for new beginnings I am going to post it again. Also, you can never have too much of the Kinks in your day!

So… here's wishing you all the bluest skies. Oh, and the very best of choruses, too. :c)

A Time for Peace, I Swear It's Not Too Late

The events of the past 36 hours have been horrific beyond description. I don't have children, so I cannot begin to fathom the pain of the parents who lost theirs in yesterday's senseless slaughter.

As a rule, I don't post political material here. But I will make an exception today.

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