13 Comments
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Monica P.'s avatar

What you have said is so very important. Stay strong and write often. We care about you.

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DocTalk, Allan N Schwartz PhD's avatar

Thank you

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Pamela Leavey's avatar

Keep writing here Allan! You have readers and friends here for you.

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DocTalk, Allan N Schwartz PhD's avatar

Thank you. That means a lot to me 💕

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Janice Walton's avatar

The loss of independence bit by bit is a tough one to accept - I find.

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DocTalk, Allan N Schwartz PhD's avatar

For me and foremost of us, it is very tough

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Thalia Toha's avatar

Allan- Few truer words exist beyond what you said here on staying connected. You’re definitely an impactful part of that connection.

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DocTalk, Allan N Schwartz PhD's avatar

Thalia thank you.

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Thalia Toha's avatar

Stay safe out there, Allan. It’s windy these days! 💨

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Greeley Miklashek, MD's avatar

Thanks, Allan, for your transparency and honesty. I'm a near 80yo retired physician/psychiatrist and grew-up an only lonely child in exurban Columbus, Ohio/ Hilliard, none of which bears any resemblance to my memories. Never had any but the most transient extended family contacts, including childhood sexual, physical (football star), mental, spiritual abuse from a father who was similarly abandoned/emotionally abused by his father and a mother who shared precious little of her life with me. So, I wondered through life on a trial and error discovery voyage, at turns wonderful and exciting, and at other times lonely and miserable. The childhood trauma, as you might guess, caused CPTSD and distorted my personality. 27 yrs. of 12-step groups ostensibly for alcohol/marijuana abuse, but actually for a spiritual reawakening/renewal and CPTSD resolution by age 76.

I love being alone and living alone, with my only close contact being a 1st cousin I've become reacquainted with. My intellectual/spiritual life is my best friend and my once 23K vol personal library, now whittled down to 600 vols. I love the net and all the doors it opens, including this interchange! 23 essays on Greeley'sNewsletter.substack.com. Many interesting comments/replies. I walk in the natural beauty of Ohio's first permanent settlement (1788) at the confluence of two rivers/bird flyways.

Like many smaller towns (13,400), many folks are friendly and even chatty on my daily strolls. I could not tolerate living in an institutional setting, even through I frequently dream about being in hospitals, like my work life. Thanks for your writing and I look forward to seeing more of it, although I can't afford more paid subs at present. Have a blessed evening and keep writing. Gregg.

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DocTalk, Allan N Schwartz PhD's avatar

Thank you for your openness and honesty

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Ian Haycroft's avatar

Thanks Allan. Straight to the point and important for people to understand. I really appreciate you and thank you.🙏

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DocTalk, Allan N Schwartz PhD's avatar

And I appreciate you

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