Dear anita,

thank you for your reply. I don’t think this time it’s anxiety so much (though surely anxiety is allways involved) but rather hopelessness. Six months ago my knees were fine, and then it was steadily downhill with a few ups and downs. I went from someone who considered starting jogging again to someone who won’t go to a concert because the way might be too much for my knees. Maybe I just need more time to adjust to that.But to be fair, today I got my second injection and at least one knee feels much better right now. So maybe things are about to improve.

How about telling your father: don’t joke with me anymore, don’t try to be funny, say what you mean in a direct, straightforward way. Do you think he may, just maybe accommodate you, and not just for a day, but all the time?

I am not sure about this. For one joking is ingrained in him, its his way to connect with people. I do the same thing. So its difficult to draw a line “that joke is okay, that one isn’t”. Saying “no joke is okay” might make things real awkward.