Dear Eric: I am the oldest of two sisters: the City Mouse and the Country Mouse. The City Mouse has not visited the Country Mouse (me) for more than 10 years. The trip to see me involves a half day of train travel, pick up at the station, her own room/TV and access to her nieces and nephews, plus that clean country air.

I fear I will never see the City Mouse again because of impending health issues. When I, nicknamed the Bully, approached the City Mouse, she replied with why can’t I visit her? Any ideas? Has our sisterhood been abandoned?

– Country Mouse

Dear Country Mouse: Forgive me for sounding too much like the city mouse, but why can’t you visit her? You write that the health issues are impending, and I understand there may be preparations you need to do beforehand, but if you’re currently able and want to see her, a visit may be a good form of self-care.

The nickname “The Bully” is worrisome, though. I don’t see bullying here, but this is only a slice of your relationship. If there are other tensions that might be discouraging your sister from visiting, you should bring those up and talk them through to clear the path for a more productive conversation on visits.

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Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.