Other People Are Keeping Me Going

By Carol Tannenhauser

Jean-Paul Sartre said “Hell is other people.” I used to jokingly invoke that quote when human relations got too messy or disappointing.

But I have changed my tune. Because now “other people” are keeping me going.

Every morning for the past three weeks since my beloved dog died, I have laid in bed for a long time after waking, wondering if I could — or wanted to — survive. Getting up was an ordeal and monumental achievement, going out, mostly, an aspiration.

Let me explain: six months ago, my husband of 53 years also died. Our dog Maggie, part of the family for 10 years, was not just my cherished companion, but a crucial part of my life and recovery — and now she’s gone, too.

I am still going, I believe, only through the grace and goodness of other people. My lovi