I sit down with Francisco R. who opens up about his widower’s journey, as well as his complex experiences with love, loss, and the complexities of grief. We delve into his unique perspective on navigating life after the sudden passing of his wife, Audra. From the challenges of long-distance dating, the unexpected health struggles, to the importance of open communication about death, this episode offers a poignant and insightful look at the realities of grief. Discover how to find the strength to move forward and fully appreciate the resilience of the human spirit. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here   Listen to the podcast here   A Widower’s Journey Of Hope With Francisco R. Francisco, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me here. Thank you for being here. I want to tell you, for whatever reason in our world, we don’t get a lot of men willing to share about their journey, but we have a lot of male readers, so I appreciate you being here and showing up for them. For any of the men who are reading, if you are interested in sharing your journey or maybe you know a gentleman who is, please have them contact me at my email address. Francisco, where are you from originally? Life In Barcelona Compared To Cincinnati I’m from Spain. I was born and raised in Barcelona. Life brought me to many places around the world, and I am based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Barcelona, what does that look like compared to Cincinnati, Ohio?     It’s different. One of the things that took me some time to get used to was the eating schedule. In Barcelona, we have lunch around 1:30, 2:00, or even 3:00 in the afternoon. We have dinner no sooner than 9:00 in the evening. It’s a different type of life. It is a big city, it’s a very international city with lots of tourists, lots of history. Cincinnati is much wider. I love being here, but those would be the main differences. First meal at 1:00 PM is that what you said? 1:00 and 1:30. Later then. What time does your day start generally or what time did your day start when you were in Barcelona? When I used to work there, I was working at the university. I was in grad school. I was working as what here in the US you call a TA and also doing my research. I always tried to avoid the rush hour because I had to travel for almost one hour in the subway, and if I did that at 7:00 in the morning, it was extremely packed and very unpleasant. I used to have a delayed schedule. I used to work from 9:30 or 10:00 in the morning until 8:00 in the evening to avoid rush hour in the morning and rush hour in the evening. What time did you, on average, open your eyes and start moving for the day? Back then, I was extremely energized. I’m getting older, as you can see. Hold on. Let me make sure that, yes. Life there was different. I used to wake up around 7:00 in the morning, but I could go to bed around 3:40 in the morning. I was fully functional until very late. I would just come back home around 9:00 in the evening, then hang out with friends, go out for dinner, or simply stay up and read study, or watch TV. Life was different. Now when I look back, it’s like, “What happened?” Now I fall asleep at 10:00 at night. I was about to say, imagine if you had a routine now where you were having to stay up as late as you did and then get up like that. I would need at least six more coffees. For the record, you said you had two. When some people hear the word coffee, what do you think they are hearing versus what you are drinking? I drink the smallest size of coffee, espresso a very strong one. I always buy Italian coffee. The potency of that, in comparison to probably this cup that I’m drinking, what does that look like? Much stronger. A cup like this size is much more coffee than probably what you can have in a big coffee mug. Francisco’s Unique Coffee Habits Why is that, for someone that’s not a coffee drinker, to try to understand why that’s going to be more caffeinated than a larger cup? It’s more concentrated. You have a much higher concentration. I understand the point of drinking large coffees. When I was living in Spain, I found no point. What’s the point of drinking a half-gallon of coffee? I didn’t understand that but then life brought me to Germany, which also has very cold weather. Then having something warm in your hands, it’s always very nice and comforting. Then I also started drinking larger coffee, but mostly to keep my hands warm. I still do it right now. I’m used to it. I am versatile. I drink a short coffee at home. I drink a half-gallon of coffee at work. How much coffee are you having a day on average? Probably too much. Maybe five cups. What is the latest you can have coffee? When I was living in Spain, I could even have coffee before going to bed. I don’t even understand that. Now though, how many was the latest you can have coffee? I could even have coffee before going to bed. I can fall asleep even here on the floor. I don’t have any problems sleeping. If I have coffee, let’s say