I am a mature widowed woman from a traditional background. I've never written fiction. IHeartShules, a writer of life changing efforts in POI stories encouraged me.

Like the character John Reese, we all have the choice to think a new path for ourselves everyday. If you don't get who or what you want, you have not met enough people who can connect you with the person or circumstances you want. Keep trying, if necessary, at different times and places.

I agree with the show's original themes of not being alone, and to be willing to cross cultural barriers and even skin color to do it. John told Joss "You are not alone." Protecting her gave him a relationship with her which meant he was no longer alone.

Isolation, like that of John Reese, can hurt a person's chances in life more than most things. Everyone does better if even 1 person cares for their existence. This can mean finding a mate and joining their family. Women widowed or divorced in news articles on the web who are in their 60's and 70's have married men of similar ages successfully. They did not regret asking for what they wanted. Especially if you are worse off by not asking.

Do as much as possible while young, before aging brings serious illness and disability that can ruin finances and destroy appearance. Much harder to help oneself after too much time passes by and those who would have helped you have passed away and hardships have happened. The character, John Reese, had lost his family. He found Joss & Harold while ability and appearance were still his.

John's desire for children, even adopted relate to his character's previous isolation. His ideas of protecting children come from his violent past. Having or adopting children helps. Until children can protect themselves, they need to be loved more than even separated parents dislike each other. Giving children siblings helps. This is a birth to death relationship that can last longer than parents, spouses, and friends.

People who prove themselves ethical and compassionate, are to be gathered like rare precious flowers, nurtured with time and attention, to harvest the benefit of stability, affection, better health, and lifetime satisfaction. They can be found with others who think the same way at activities and volunteer events to help others. John's behavior to get super ethical Joss into his life is an example.

My father would watch people while they drove a car. He thought that revealed what they really thought. While driving, were they courteous and did they plan ahead. Or did they have a temper and "gambled with the machine in their hands." He said that proved who they were and what they did when they were not in the car. This was faster than waiting too long to find out.

Also, like the character, Harold, people's response to hardship can find another chance. The idea that starting from where they are does work. Starting over from scratch is not always necessary. Harold's health and John's mental state did not keep them from trying to affect their future.

Although the future can not be predicted, it can and has been influenced. In a very unusual, old Hollywood, USA, film, "Rain", a man said to a woman, who had a hard and difficult life, that there were people who were not proud of what they had done in the past but chose to do things, very differently, in the future. Sixty years after this film was made, I thought John's character in this story was similar.

Undeniable gains can be made in spite of a painful past. Paraphrasing Ellie Quinn, another good author from this website.

"Late bloomers" is a label I saw on the Internet to describe people who try new things late in life.

Although John, Harold and Joss are middle aged, I discovered extremely "late bloomers" Margaret Mitchell, Norman Cousins, and Laura Ingalls Wilder and many others who chose their purpose. They started new directions at advanced ages to find satisfying activities. This included the aforementioned successful marriages of women in their 60's and 70's. It is not how much time there is left, it's what will be done with it.

Opportunities are constant, rarely does the same one happen twice. Understanding the good and bad in every opportunity that existed for these people helped. Even accepting some of them temporarily, until they could move on to another one, proved useful. The history of these people is on the Web. Reading about the very different things they did is very encouraging. John's character was prepared with skills, health and understanding of how his response to his life would work with the job offer from Harold and how it would get Joss interested in him.

Thoughts are not tied to the condition of the body. A paralyzed Steven Hawkins proved that. I agree that the mind is a free country.

For me writing is thinking. Words matter, they stand by themselves, even if the source is not an official paid one.

I will finish my first story by the end of June 2017. I have been ill, which delayed my writing. I have persisted, if only to write a few words a day.

I am paraphrasing Calvin Coolidge's quote: When talent, education, and genius are not enough, diligence and persistence will get this and anything else done.

I thank all of you who see this. I don't know if I will write any more. I am still recuperating. Stay safe.