Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Lonely on Thanksgiving

"There are a lot of people out there in a lot of pain." --(One of my old professors)

An obvious-sounding statement, isn't it?  And yet profound.  If you stop to think of all the people out there right now who are hurting, and lonely, or even desperate this (or any) time of year, the magnitude of that sadness is really astounding. 

So if you are one of those who feels forgotten, abandoned, or alone this week...this post is for you. 

Maybe you will be spending Thanksgiving with a house full of people, but are drowning in your own private world of sorrow.  Maybe you are completely isolated and terrified that life will never change.  Maybe your family is broken and your holidays are a searing reminder of the happy gatherings you no longer get to have. 

Wherever life finds you, I wish you the strength to make it through the tough days like this.  I can't muster any sunshine & roses speeches, because I don't feel sunny and rosy right now.  There will be other people on other blogs spreading joy for you to capture if that is your wish. 

There are others of us just trying to deal. 

I was just reading a post over at The Introvert's Corner called "Introverts and the Loneliness Loop."

Dembling writes:

"We desire and require deep connections and would rather be lonely alone than in a crowd. But realistically, those deep connections are not easy to find, and if we get caught short and our only choice is superficial socializing or nothing, we can get lonely."
 
I've been feeling that way a lot lately.  I either sit at home by myself, or I go out with people and still feel just as lonely afterwards.   It's been a lot of years since I've had a 'best' friend or close relationship.  And it's hard to feel fully yourself when no one else really knows you. 

At no time is that loneliness more magnified...than during holiday season. 

So if you find yourself here today, count yourself among friends.