Dealing with unsolicited advice
The average American has one confidante.
Do you have someone to talk to?
People tell me all the time that no one talks about caregiving. It's confusing, because I hear people talk about caregiving all the time.
Now that I'm not actively caregiving, I'm traveling and talking to a lot of strangers. Before I tell them what I do, I hear about aging parents, the death of a child, the challenge of balancing a full-time job and the needs of a disabled spouse.
For better or worse, I have a certain look that makes strangers feel comfortable opening up to me. It's easy to talk to a stranger on a bus, knowing we'll both go separate ways at the next town.
And that's the thing. When people say 'no one talks about caregiving' they mean that they don't have people in their lives they really feel comfortable opening up to.
It's been a while since I've matched up penpals. It's time to do another round.
If you'd like to have a penpal to talk about your life as a caregiver, you can sign up here.
PS. Do you shop on Amazon? If you use Amazon Smile, they'll donate a portion of the proceeds to The Caregiver Space, at no additional cost to you.