swing for life

Max sat quietly in his favorite chair, staring across the room at the photographs on the wall. In the center of the arrangement was a large, laminated picture of his one true love - his wife of forty years, Nancy. She had passed away two years ago today and Max had never been able to accept her death. She had died at the hands of drunk driver, on her way home from the senior center where she was a volunteer. Nancy had been taken from him so senselessly, so instantly, that Max could not seem to find a way to move on. Every day, he still heard her voice in the house, calling his name. How he wished now that he hadn't gotten annoyed with her requests to take out the trash or cut the lawn. They never fought over those things but, in his heart, he knew he could have been kinder to her and more helpful.

"Oh well," Max thought for the hundredth time, "I can't change the past." It was so true but Max also needed to get on with the present. He was a very lonely man, having few close friends. He had retired not long before Nancy's accident and, prior to that, he had been so absorbed in his work that he never participated in community activities or hobbies. This limited his exposure to potential friendships nearby. His doctor, of all people, had suggested that Max might like to try on-line dating. "What on earth is that?" he'd asked her during the appointment. "Well," she said quietly, "you create a profile about yourself on a dating site, Max... it might give you an opportunity to meet some new people and maybe even get out and about a little bit." Truth be told, the doctor was worried about Max's somewhat depressive behavior. "A dating site?" he'd responded, "That sounds a little too modern for me."

Max was quite computer literate for his age, thanks to all the exposure he'd had in his professional life. He knew the names of a dating site or two, just from their advertisements. However, he had never once thought of visiting one. He hadn't been upset at the conversation with his doctor - even though he usually balked at any suggestion that he needed to date. It still seemed disrespectful to Nancy's memory. His doctor, though, was certainly a person with his best interests at heart and if she thought signing up with a dating site would do him some good, Max felt that maybe he should consider it. He knew he was growing tired of being alone but he had been less than confident about meeting someone locally. A dating site might provide a bit of distance to get to know someone first, without finding out they lived a block over in his own neighborhood.

Crossing the room, Max raised one hand to the photograph and gently touched Nancy's cheek. "I miss you, my love," he said out loud, "but maybe it's time for me to start living again." Looking once more at her beautiful brown eyes, Max resolved to sit down that very evening and take the first steps to having a life of his own.