DEAR ABBY: Never did I think I'd be writing to you, but for the past few years I have been plagued by widows who cannot drive. However, most are not shy when it comes to expecting neighbors to drive them to church, to shop, to the doctor or the dentist, to senior affairs, etc.
What in the world were these women -- and their husbands -- thinking in years past? It's a well-known fact that women usually outlive their husbands. Did they think a chauffeur would automatically appear when the husband died? Or were the husbands stubborn male chauvinists who refused to accept the fact that they might go first?
I loved your item re: Who would a man rescue if both his mother and his wife were going over the falls and he could rescue only one? You humorously wrote, "... it's so important for women to know how to paddle their own canoes." Amen! Healthy ladies: LEARN TO DRIVE!
Thankfully, the new generation has all girls and women learning to drive early. Those no-drive widows are such a pain. -- WIDOW-DRIVER IN ILLINOIS
DEAR WIDOW-DRIVER: I have another saying for you: "You don't have to run to the fire every time you hear a siren." Perhaps your pain would be less if you made yourself less available. I'm sure those nondriving widows would try harder to arrange other transportation if they could hear what you're saying under your breath!
Another thing to consider: Not all older widows are good candidates for learning how to drive.