I began at a petite and orderly house where a retired music teacher lives. She’s 73. We begin with her steady relationship with Maine, where she now continues decades-long stint right here in Sabattus.

Now retired, I can see evidence of one way she remains full-on throughout her living room, where yarn peaks out of bins and occupies a prominent role on the couch. Knitting, a creative passion, gives her both an ability to contribute to her community by donating bountiful mittens, and, as she herself puts it, a sense of purpose.

She’s unmarried, and this brings conflicted feelings about what partnership might have brought her. But, you’ll hear, marriage does not guarantee a life free of loneliness in her view. Above all, she’s derives a lot of joy from family who live nearby.

For this person, friendships built over time have been loneliness antidotes. While the loss of a friend created a space that was difficult to fill, she’s again found people to whom she can say just about anything, discuss shared fascinations perhaps odd to an outsider, and connect with just about anytime.

She had been deep in a house project earlier that day, and felt wiped, but, yoga taught at her senior center along with a bunch of other classes, helps her to reset. Taking it all in stride, she has energy.

She feels there’s a long road ahead of her, and her content, optimistic, and go-getter attitude will serve her well on.

So down the road we caravan. Her friend swings open the door, greets us with kind eyes.

We go right to pursuing her elaborate and lovingly-crafted quilt collection in a room just off her living room.

The two friends begin to chat about who the recipients of these quilts will be.

Hear how these quilts land directly on the beds of local children in the foster care system and women living in shelters. Not without determination.

We (woman on the right) settle down just the two of us so she can share her story. We begin by talking about how she developed her creative passion for quilting.

The story becomes a deeply personal one-- about the loss of her husband, and the power of community to address grief and aloneness.

Her creative passions have been loneliness antidotes not only after losing her husband, but also as she’s dedicated herself to physical recovery from her own health problems, now limited mostly by a struggle to drive in the dark, which can make nights alone stretch on. A simple walking path made just for her gets her moving.

Now 72, she reflects on how aging and loneliness are related, especially after the passing of her husband. Concerns about physical health problems, a future need for constant care, and reluctance to go live in a nursing facility stay on the horizon.

While we talked, another loneliness antidote, her proximity to family, came right into the interview in the form of a phone call from her granddaughter, en route to her house for dinner. But, hear how family support cannot solve all.

Another passion she has explored newly in the last few years is her love for travel. The senior center plays a pivotal role here, as a staff member organizes the trips on the attendees’ behalf. Some are day trips around Maine, and others go international. In fact, she has a big Europe trip on the horizon, you’ll hear.

We end the interview with how she understands loneliness, and its most powerful antidote in keeping dedicated to the things you love.