As J, a dear friend, walked up the slope, I reached out to help her. We realised she had lost the “fire” she used to have. J was a spirited person full of energy and on the go, even into her late 70’s. But she had had a stroke five months ago, and we hadn’t known about it. It wasn’t a bad one, nonetheless a big shock for her. J sat down with us on our patio and told us about the challenges ahead of her. Lifestyle changes were imminent - she was advised not to drive her car anymore. She had to reduce her goings out. We spent the evening over tea listening to her and then offered suggestions on how to cope. When we dropped her off at her home, she appeared very comforted.