Loneliness

There has been much on the subject of loneliness on the radio of late. My heart goes out to those who feel it. There is a big difference between loneliness & just being alone.

 I confess I suffered it at university. During the day I was fine, busy studying & being with friends. It was in the evening, when friends were out with their boyfriends or otherwise busy, so I was on my own in my hall bedroom it hit. I wasn’t used to the idea of being so much on my own. My family had always been around. Even when I was on my own at home, there was a warmth about the place, not this cold cell-like room. I enjoyed babysitting at university as much for being in somewhere that resembled a proper home, rather than typical student accommodation.

I’ve never felt lonely since meeting the Fox. That’s not to say we spend 24 hours together always. In our younger days the needs of work & earning a living prevented it. We both appreciate our private times, times to sort out our thoughts, to pursue our personal interests. But we do talk a lot together & always feel encircled with the warmth of love. Loneliness is what I dread if ever I should outlive him. I tell myself that these days I have more self-confidence to cope but I’m not convinced.

The reason for all this loneliness in today’s world, they reckon, is the advent of communication by mobile phone, by e-mail, by technology rather than actual face-to-face contact as well as an increase in home-working, as so much can be done by computer these days, & the dispersion of families as the need for employment demands.

People don’t seem to talk in the same way. We ruminated on this thought as we talked & laughed with our cruising friends at the golf club. When we meet up, there are no mobile phones switched on - we have them in case of emergency to be switched on only if the case demands it - we just talk as we put the world to rights, support one another through problems, share joys. At the moment there is much joy as they became great grandparents for the first time on last Friday. Yesterday they went to see the new arrival & mother.

There is much to be said for the old fashion ways of just meeting up & talking. Though I suspect that demon, loneliness, would still be lurking around the corner if I always had to go back to an empty house alone by myself.