Used to be the phone would ring every few days to get together for coffee, a movie, shopping, or gossip about other girlfriends, our children our husbands.      They are gone away those girlfriends.     Some have moved to places to be near their own children as they have aged, some have illnesses that prevent them from doing anything social, some have “gone away” mentally with aging – forget, don’t care, and its simply not  important any longer.   It has become an effort to keep up the social get togethers.  Few of us want to drive 50 miles for a luncheon, the telephone is not much fun when you can’t hear very well.   The wheelchair will not move fast enough to get to the telephone and the only important phone calls are from the doctor scheduling the next appointment.   

Some are  very fortunate and have children who make contact daily or weekly or  perhaps a sister or brother or grandchild who thinks of them as a “girlfriend” and special.        

The coffee get together’s are  now with a good book or a tablet game.    The movies are watched alone.  The shopping sprees are walking up and down the aisles looking at pretty things  and buying only the “have tos”.  The  once live music is now replaced by  listening to CD’s with headphones.    

The highlight of the month is a trip to the hairdresser to talk about interesting things and people and “ideas”.    Someone that actually shares “ideas”.  Imagine actually having a two way conversation with someone about , religion, politics, our fears and hopes.  

Girlfriends gone away, away, away.  Missing all of you, missing being special, missing talking, talking, talking.     

Peggy