I don’t know about you, but I can count the number of close friends I have left, on one hand. When you’re a kid, it’s easy and as you grow, those friendships thrive and develop and as your life stages change, so you your friends. But at some point, it gets really hard to make new ones, doesn’t it?
When you’re an adult, it’s pretty hard to find new people, but imagine being elderly and having no one left. That’s terrifying.
That’s the situation that a 90-year-old woman in California found herself in, so she took a positive step to combat her isolation and loneliness. She wrote a note to a neighbour.
This is the note that Marleen Brooks came home to. It says:
“Would you consider to become my friend.
I’m 90 years old – live alone.
All my friends have passed away.
I’m so lonesome and scared.
Please -I pray for someone.”
Fuck, doesn’t that just get you in the feels.
It’s almost as bad as this:
In any case, Marleen wasn’t going to let this letter go unanswered. She shared the letter with anchor Frank Somerville from the local KTVU station, who posted it on his Facebook, where it got shared an number of times.
Then she made a plan to make a new friend.
Marleen went out to grab some cupcakes and went down the street that evening to introduce herself. She brought along her best friend so that Wanda could meet two new people.
She wrote again to Somerville after her impromptu friend-making party, to tell him how it went. He shared her update Facebook, and it puts a hell of a lot of warmth into my heart.
Like a lot – like ET’s glowing chest warmth.
Can you imagine living in one place for over 50 years and not knowing anybody? I can’t. That’s too long to be alone, without anyone to talk to or to keep you company.
Especially when you have the ailments that Wanda has. I can’t imagine being in her position.
I’ll admit it, this is made me cry.
We all need some compassion and kudos to Wanda for reaching out and asking for what she absolutely deserves.
There are so many people out there, looking for someone to put a smile on their face, and just because they’re older, doesn’t mean that they don’t have anything to offer. There’s numerous reports about the elderly in our communities that feel left out or lack social interactions and can’t bring themselves, or aren’t mobile enough, to go out and do something about it. Without social connections, they will wither away.
We just need to reach out to everyone around us and just say hi. It’s a start and who knows where it’s going to lead.
Look what it did for Wanda.
That’s just about the best thing I’ve seen this week.
H/T Scarymommy
