An important part of my retirement is my role as a volunteer with Samaritans. Having worked for forty years in various human services it was hard to walk away completely. Having the opportunity to take on the role of listener as opposed to manager has added to my life.
Unfortunately one of the most common reasons that people phone is due to loneliness, especially as people get older, deal with family break up, deaths of partners, or struggle with long term mental health needs. People live lonely lives in rural and urban settings. We walk past lonely people every day.
The saddest description of loneliness I heard was from a lady who lived on her own and was now retired from work. Her husband had died five years previously. They had no children. She told me that anytime she left her house she was acutely aware that when she returned nothing would have moved, everything would be as she left it. She knew now that her home had become a house.
The Scribbler Griffin 