I Asked Him What He Misses Most About His Parents

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 They've been best friends since they were 13 years old. Now they're 73. They grew up together, built their own lives, got married—and eventually both became widows. Their husbands died within about a year and a half of one another. Through grief, family and rebuilding their lives, their friendship remained. Years later, both found relationships again. One even reconnected with the first boyfriend she had when she was around 14. We talked about losing a spouse, what the first days afterward were like, what makes a good husband, finding happiness after tragedy, becoming engaged again and the conversations we wish we'd had with the people we lost. Real people. Real stories. Real connection. I Have a Question. 

 I left a box at the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market in Troy, New York with one question:  “What is your biggest struggle?”  People could write whatever they wanted and leave it behind anonymously.  When I came back, I read their answers.  Some were simple. Some were deeply personal. And a few revealed struggles I never could have known just by walking past the people who wrote them.  One person wrote about being adopted and struggling with whether they were ever truly loved as family.  Another described the lasting trauma of losing a roommate to suicide and how that experience continues to affect friendships, relationships and everyday life.  These are their experiences, in their own words.  You can walk past someone every day and never know what they're carrying.  Real people. Real stories. Real connection.  If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 in the United States and Canada.