Only The Lonely

I believe that the creation of Valentine’s Day was due to the fact that this time of year... creates a compounded amount of loneliness... and people need a reminder (or a force feeding) to realize that that are not in it alone.  

A greeting card… a bottle of cologne… a bundle of flowers… This makes you feel less empty, right?

Throughout the past one and a half months there has been a resounding message of loneliness and emptiness among the people I know or encounter. 

In the dictionary loneliness is defined as: sadness because one has no friends or company. However, the people I know are not sitting alone in a corner of their apartment or home isolated from the world. They have friends and lovers and communities. So we may need to redefine the term.

You can be surrounded by people and feel completely alone. This is in fact, a fact.

Some will say you need to be enough for you. That you need to be able to love yourself enough for others to love you… and that’s true... you do need to be able to fulfill your needs. But sometimes your need is for other people. People need people. You can’t build a community with just one person. 

So in honor of Valentine’s Day (and the emptiness so many people are feeling right now), do some work to make sure the people in your life know that you are grateful for them.

•    Reach out - they may push back because they aren’t ready and used to attention but it will mean something. Text, call, email, snail mail… whatever.

•    Invest in them - Facebook and Instagram do not a relationship make. Spend time to actually know what they are going through.

•    Make plans - don’t bail.

•    Be there - Smile with them. Laugh with them. Cry with them. Shout with them.

•    Be consistent - Don't do this only around the beginning of February. Do it on a random Tuesday. Do it just because someone popped into your head. 

People are in your life for a reason. And people are lonely right now. No one deserves to be lonely. 

Honor your people. Cherish your people. Make sure they know how important they are. And do it today. Because tomorrow is a day away. The simple truth is that by making someone else feel less lonely you'll feel a little more whole as well.