Linda Loo

Linda Loo and I have been friends for almost 20 years. We used to work together when we were both nurses at the Danville Hospital. Although we haven’t worked together for 10 years, we have remained close friends.

She is the one person I can depend on to be there when I’m in a bad mood. We may not talk every week, or even every other week, but we somehow instinctively know when the other is in trouble emotionally.

It’s funny, sometimes I can tell just by the ring of the phone if it is Linda calling me and what kind of mood she may be in. It drives my husband crazy when I know who’s on the phone before I answer it, but that’s a whole other story.

When Linda is having a bad emotional time, I can usually talk her down and by the end of the phone conversation, we are both laughing and probably as happy as we’re going to be for the night. The same goes for me; if I’m down or depressed, she is the one who can understand what I’m going through.

We try to go out together a few times a year, and believe me, it is always a hoot. Our last outing was in January when we both decided we were going to a weight loss hypnosis class. Let’s just say that at least neither of us ended up clucking like a chicken. It was just fun to be out together.

Recently I’ve been stressing over the wedding of my oldest daughter. Linda’s children are older than mine, so she’s already been through two weddings. She is trying to help me over my fear of social situations, but it hasn’t been easy and I am in no way anywhere near being cured. But I know she understands.

Although Linda is 15 years older than me, she is more like a sister than a mother. And since the death of my sister, this has really been a help to me. It’s nice to know there is someone else in the world who is as much a crazy, emotional mess as I am.

.