I Have to Stop Every Now and Then and Think How Lucky I Am

Sunset from my front yard

Nancy O.’s story on grief and loss inspired me to write this, but I’m not going to write about grief and loss.

Grief and Loss … Living Without

I’m going to write how lucky I am, even though I sometimes feel sad that I don’t have a partner. I live in an old but comfortable home— it’s double brick so cool in summer and warm in winter. Sadly it’s not mine… but we can’t have everything.

I rent rooms to students learning English for 3–6 weeks at a time. I’ve met some lovely people from all over the world: Colombia, Argentina, France, Germany, UK, Turkey, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. It’s a real United Nations here sometimes. In between the students and my grandson and writing, I’m kept pretty busy. And writing has been good to me — both mentally and financially.

I have a pool to cool off in summer and a beautiful, comfortable bed to stay warm in winter. I love my bedroom. It’s not huge but it has mirrored built-in wardrobes along one full side of the room giving the appearance of spaciousness.