Learning to play Mahjong: Lessons in Life, Loss, and Friendship

“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. 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. 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. Before we moved, Elaine lived across the street. We spoke almost every day. She brought her coffee over and sat on my front steps in the morning. I went for a cup of tea in Elaine’s kitchen in the afternoons. I could call or text Elaine any time of the day or night. I sent her funny videos of puppies. She tried to teach me to knit. Elaine was my person. We moved to a community with a very active new neighbors’ group that plans activities, has events, and makes it almost impossible not to meet other newcomers, whether you like it or not. There are potluck dinners, happy hours, historical tours, and evenings at local restaurants. There are groups for thirty-somethings, groups for forty-somethings, walking groups, golf groups, and even a group for people who lived overseas. Lessons are offered in bridge, canasta, bocce, pickleball, and, of course, mahjong. <a href="https://medium.com/age-of-empathy/learning-to-play-mahjong-lessons-in-life-loss-and-friendship-bd0345393dc6">Click Here</a>