DEAR ABBY: I am a 73-year-old retired woman who still maintains contact with a number of old and new friends for movies, dinner, museum visits, etc. Until the COVID virus, we did things often. Now, not so much.
Someone in this group told me that on a couple of occasions, a few of them were not very nice when my name came up. ("Why doesn't she see her grandkids more often?" "She goes out more than most, yet doesn't want to eat in certain restaurants.") My husband and I have a good marriage, but many of these ladies are widowed or divorced. How do you handle backstabbing at this age? -- MYSTIFIED IN NEW YORK
DEAR MYSTIFIED: Try not to take it personally. Obviously, these gossips have less to occupy their minds than one would hope. You might also consider seeing these particular individuals even less often than you already do in the age of COVID. If you do, it may give them less ammunition concerning what you do (or don't do) with your time.