Learning to play Mahjong: Lessons in Life, Loss, and Friendship
<p>“You are playing what? Mahjong? Since when are you an old Jewish woman?” My best friend Elaine laughs when I call her three months after moving south to tell her I am learning to play mahjong.</p>
<p>I tell Elaine I am just trying to meet people. I don’t tell Elaine how much I miss walking across the street to have a cup of tea and admire her garden. I was the one who moved, after all. I was the one who abandoned her. I miss Elaine so badly it hurts.</p>
<p>Moving when you are in your fifties is not easy. Making new friends when you are in your fifties is not easy. There are no parents to meet while waiting at the school bus stop, volunteering as a homeroom parent, or sitting in the bleachers watching the soccer game. When you and your spouse work from home, there are no lunches with coworkers or dinners with your work friends and their spouses.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/age-of-empathy/learning-to-play-mahjong-lessons-in-life-loss-and-friendship-bd0345393dc6"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>