Short Story: John found it very difficult to love the irascible old man, that he was now "forced" to live with.

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John had his father-in-law staying with them for an extended period of 12 months. John was not a talker, or a very social person, and his wife went off to work every day, leaving him, retired now, at home to deal with her father, on his own. His wife told him, that he should give more of his time to the old man, now 86, and nearing the end of his days. John should try to open conversation, and to relate to him more from his side, because the old guy never originates anything from his side. John had taken an instant dislike to the guy. He was like an intruder in their house, and John did not like the way he was, and who he was. The old man reminded him of his own father, who he had never gotten on with before. John hated having another father figure in his life again, and this old guy was an annoyance to John, being in his home, when he liked to spend days, quietly by himself, on his own. John was in lock-down from an epidemic, rife in the world at this time, so he could not go out anywhere much either. He was stuck in his stuckness. Anyway, John saw an advertisement on the television, where people, having trouble coping at home, could ring up a free counselor. John had never spoken to any counselors before. John did not like to share stuff about his life with most anyone, but this was anonymous, so, at his wit's end, he decided to make the call, one morning, when the old man was still in bed, fast asleep. John outlined his problems to the pleasant-sounding lady on the phone. Here is exactly what she said to him then: "The life of anyone depends on a number of factors." "The first is of course love, because everything else depends on, and hangs off of love too." "The second is connecting to others from love, via love, through love, to love, from the love in yourself." "The third is to be open to receiving his or her, love back. They love differently to you, so receive it in whatever way you can, through an open door of kindness, not a closed one of resentment." "To get past who you are now, allow, allow love to change you. Try to do the loving kind thing for yourself, and for others just as much as you can ever always do so, my friend." John said, "thanks", and the call ended. John, being an insightful, thoughtful type of a person, knew when he heard it, that this advice was spot on. As soon, as the old man got up, John made a cup of coffee for him, and some toasted cheese sandwiches, and he sat with the old man for half an hour, or more, quietly. The old man opened up, and started talking about his wife, his daughter, and his life, and his interests, up until now. He never stopped talking until lunchtime came around actually. He really had just needed to talk, as we all do at times, even John, the silent type, that he is. Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com John's father in law was a bit hard for John to know how to deal with, so he got some help, to help him do so, and it certainly did help.