Sometimes the job you want can be extremely hard to get, and other times the position might not even exist until you make it.
At 95, Dr. Ruth Westheimer is shifting gears from her lengthy, notable career as a sex expert and taking a chance on a new role.
As a New York resident of 60 years, Westheimer decided that she wants to help tackle the national loneliness epidemic by doing her part in the Empire State and becoming New York's Ambassador to Loneliness.
The only issue was that an ambassador position for loneliness didn't exist in New York, or any other state for that matter. But that didn't stop Westheimer from advocating for its existence.
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"I still will talk about orgasms," Westheimer told The New York Times. "I still will talk about sexual dysfunction. But I have done that."
"So now I am going to say, let's go and see how we can help people who don't have a sexual problem," she told the publication. "I don't want to be known only as a sex therapist. I want to be known as a therapist."
With the help of a state senator, Westheimer started petitioning for Gov. Kathy Hochul to turn the ambassador position for loneliness into a reality, according to The New York Times.
Once Hochul became aware of Westheimer's plight, she called her directly to let her know that she created, and landed, the job.
"As New York works to fight the loneliness epidemic, some help from honorary Ambassador Ruth Westheimer may be just what the doctor ordered," Hochul said in a statement after the appointment was announced in early November.
"Dr. Ruth Westheimer has offered her services to help older adults and all New Yorkers cope with the loneliness epidemic and I will be appointing her to serve as the nation's first state-level honorary Ambassador to Loneliness. Studies show individuals experiencing loneliness had a 32 percent higher risk of dying early and we need leaders like Dr. Ruth to help address this critical component of our mental health crisis."
Like many others, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 was a tough time for Westheimer, especially because she is a social butterfly who enjoys going out and having dinner outside of her home.
But the lockdown brought back eerie memories of her teenage years when she wrote in her diary about how lonely she was after surviving the Holocaust and becoming an orphan, she told The New York Times.
The heavy feeling of loneliness is one that she wants to help others work through by cultivating "meaningful busyness" in their lives and finding the right community for them.
"Hallelujah! I got off the phone with Governor Hochul yesterday afternoon. She called to ask me to serve as the very first Honorary Ambassador to Loneliness in the nation," Westheimer said.
"I am deeply honored and promised the Governor that I will work day and night to help New Yorkers feel less lonely!"
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