After that she needed to help an elderly, disabled friend of hers, a very sweet man, move some of his belongings to a new living space she'd located for him after he became homeless recently. I came along to help carry stuff. We had a great time. And, I noticed I didn't feel lonely--I concluded that being able to help somebody is a great tonic for loneliness... so, I thought I'd recommend it to you, if you are feeling like an "island." :-)
I haven't read, but accept the premise of, that book that made a splash a few years back, Bowling Alone. It described modern Americans as increasingly isolated, not involving themselves in community and civic life, or even social and extended family life. We're social creatures, and we all do need each other, so it is stressful to feel cut off or alienated, even for those who, like me, are relatively shy and solitary by nature.
The Internet can be a start for many of us to feel less alone, to feel that there are others out there who experience the same thing and who care. There are a number of websites specifically on this topic, for instance:
http://www.stoploneliness.com/
http://www.webofloneliness.com/
And of course, there's WYFP, where we gather to share our troubles and care about each other and I really hope to be a little less lonely for a while!
But I would encourage everyone who is lonely to realize your need to be with people in real life, and go where there are other people. Be yourself. Care about others, and they will care about you. Relax and don't worry. There are a whole lot of other lonely people in the world who would be grateful if you would hang out with them for a while. :-)
So, how are you tonight? Feeling lonely? Or maybe you have some advice on how you dealt with loneliness in the past? What other effing problems are gnawing at you?
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