Most of us only have one or two people in our lives deserving of the title friend.

Adding to the darkness - the helpless feeling that the political system keeps failing and there is *nothing you can do about it*. Go and vote, - it's important but if you're like me and in a 100+ year Tory safe seat, all you're really doing is shouting into the void. (I'm not kidding, the constituency I live in has been Tory since it was formed in about 1898, and only briefly dipped below 50% of the votes - the rest were split, so the Tory still got the majority - once just after WWII)

That's a realization you can't prepare for ;)

The struggle is real.

This one is really hitting home. I'm in denial with my actual parents, but we saw my mum's sisters recently and they both look so frail (only in their early 70s)

Yep - school is work in miniature. Every office environment has the weird kid, the smelly kid, the tell-tale, the bully, etc. As Roy Harper once said “Grown-ups are just silly children”

This needs to be higher. You need time to realize that childhood trauma affects your adult life in unexpected ways. You still react in the "freeze-or-fight-or-flight" mode that helped you when the trauma happened. And what you thought was "forgetting and overcoming" was actually "temporary burrying it under the carpet".

This is really true. It's so sad to see my parents, uncles & aunts growing old and frail & become sickly. My school friends who were close to me are all now so far away busy with their new life. Some even passed away due to sickness or accidents. Ooooh:-(

Every day stress; what can I cook today?

Body pains in general........and how permanent they can become.

It's nice to be needed, but there is a limit to how much you can deal with.

And the toll this stress takes on your mental and physical health.

I’ve experienced this. In my teens and 20s I tolerated all manner of people and their habits, ignoring negative traits and behaviour. As I’ve got older I become less tolerant of BS and people quite clearly using me for their own ends. It’s quite liberating to clear these people out of my life. After my old man died I was suddenly aware that life is too short to spend it with poisonous people, they should be consigned to history and chalk it up to experience. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Lick up, kick down.

I've learned to just go grocery shopping more frequently in smaller hauls and shorter trips.

My dad died in 2014. My mom never got over it and then got knocked down by cancer and having to care for her mother with dementia. The new grandkids seem to help but it looks so miserable for her and not at all what she planned on her retirement being

I love the sentiment, but 30 years ago, we were both very different people and frankly not ready for each other. I'm sure I would have messed up our relationship somehow.

Yep. I've been struggling with depression since childhood - not knowing it was depression. Get therapy, it works. There are some associations and helplines that offer it free of charge - look for them. You are stronger than you think. Stay safe.

Yep. And I work at a homeless shelter.

So true! How often I have to tell off my mother, insist she sees a doctor, getting frustrated because she won't listen to reason. And no, she has no mental condition - at least for now.

I really struggle with this one... which makes it even worse because I left one country for another country just recently just before lockdown... so, I've spent more than a year alone working from the apartment

I know this feel - time flies faster and faster. It's like the summer started yesterday... and now it's almost the middle of October, and it's raining outside? How???

Ugh, I'm really feeling this one.

This only ever is posted by Americans. This particular issue and I see it all the f*****g time.

Happened to me at least twice. Yes, it sucks.

Yeah, watching your parents age and having the problems that come with age. Breaking a hip, Alzheimer's, problems with gardening, walking, making a shopping list. It's tough and heart breaking.

Don't get me started or I'll explode. This has been a struggle since before my 20's. It sucks. Losing weight is also a mental thing. If your head isn't ready, your body will not cooperate.

google this, latest treatment option: "UToledo scientists have developed an experimental vaccine against rheumatoid arthritis The protein-based vaccine shows significant promise in preventing rheumatoid arthritis and improving bone quality — suggesting long-term benefits following immunization"

What's "retirement"?

In my experience, adults frequently aren't magically any more capable than children. We've just had more life experiences and more practice. The reverse is also frequently true. Children frequently aren't less capable than adults. They just haven't had the same amount of practice.

My personal philosophy is that the "purpose" in life is what you decide it to be. There is no list of objectives or mandatory timetable to guide you - you just live and make the best out of it.

'murica?

I loved my life when it was like this. Now I am a lonely retired widow

ALL OF THEM Mostly because all the snakes are there...

I always thought parents who work always had extra money to do anything. Begged my mom to take me to Disneyland because "all the other classmates went". She always said no and I used to think it was because she didn't want to for the sheer sake she didn't like having fun at places with kids. Turns out that was only one of the reasons. I had no clue she couldn't afford to take me. She was very private about the finances. With my kid, I've been very open about the finances so she understands why I say no. It helped prevent begging for sure.

I like to assume that everyone is an ignorant buffoon and if they prove otherwise, that's great.

Meh, for me it's the other way round: especially since the pandemic, I enjoy having someone come over because it makes me *want* to clean up my appartment. I do that for myself way too rarely.

I'm currently supporting two people who are going through tough times and it's really hard. I'm not in good health but they need me so I have to put aside the pain and exhaustion I feel.

I hate that dental is considered 'cosmetic'. Because apparently wanting to chew and not be in pain is cosmetic.

You have to make the best out of everything. Enjoy everything you can, to the fullest. Life is short, but if you fill it with the things you loke, with learning, with knowing, it will become full. No matter if you enjoy travelling or just sipping tea on a rainy day - just enjoy the moment. It's not a race, there is no destination, so enjoy the road. Also, be kind. Be the kind of person your dog think you are. Show others the kindness you wish others had shown you.