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Has he ‘given in’ to old age?

Q I’m in my early 70s and still work. My husband is retired. He’s very good and does a lot of the things in the house but always complains he’s tired. He often takes afternoon naps. I don’t have time to do that. My daughter told me I was abnormal and being harsh on her father. I think he’s given in to becoming old. He may live another 25 years.

Elaine, Nottingham

A It sounds like you have lots of energy and you're very lucky. I don’t know about you being abnormal (that was probably a little harsh of your daughter), but I do know people have different energy levels, and these vary throughout our lives. Some people need less sleep than others, and some can be on the go all day and stay up late. It’s easy to assume because you can do something that another person is putting it on. That is rarely the case. If we are going to be compassionate to others, we need to listen to their needs, accept them at face value and not judge them based on ourselves.

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