HOME ALONE
Sunday, April 4, 2021 - daily column #6718
Happy Easter and good Pesach wishes to all who observe those traditions.
And, to those who observe traditions of chocolate eggs and bunnies – go brush your teeth and don’t forget to floss.
To those who observe other things or nothing at all, that’s fine too. There is no requirement to observe anything, but it’s sometimes helpful to observe ourselves. To complicate things – observing ourselves as we observe others. Superficial salutations, questions and answers rarely revealing inestimable truths.
It’s been a long weekend.
Longer for some more than others.
Before this pandemic, a time for family gatherings and religious observances.
More people are home alone now, but for many of us, that is nothing new – we’ve been alone before, we’ve been alone for a long time. Generally, I think, for most who belong to this club, the answer would be ‘it sucks,’ but that’s putting a simplistic label on it, akin to putting a virtual band-aid over an absolutely bloody gaping invisible gash inside.
Being alone, and the why of that – different for everyone, separate from the ‘what of it.’
What of it?
Yes, clever with words …
Being alone offers every diversion, delusion, distraction, and unhealthy behavior that can be found with an open-fridge policy, retail therapy, or the rabbit hole of binge-watching and internet surfing.
And then, there is alone again – bringing with it the craving for touch, for being in-touch, for being intertwined in some way with someone else who laughs with you, sees you and is seen in return, as someone to be a witness to one another’s life. Friends, true deep friends, offer much of this, but they usually have their own mess of tangled-wire relationships with close and distant relations, family dinners, traditions, and all-day-sweating over a feast that gets devoured in 15 minutes.
For those who’ve had a great weekend hanging out with friends and family, yahoo!, good for you.
For those who’ve wished for something closer with someone closer, my thoughts are with you.
For those who wish they were alone – and you are not alone, I want you to know that alone is not all it’s cracked up to be!
Alone is the best of times, it is the worst of times, and sometimes it is the most important of times.
If you are alone, reach out to someone.
If you are not alone, consider reaching out to someone who is.
Reader feedback:
Oh Mark, this WAS SO WORTH WAITING FOR!! It’s a sore point with me. "at our age" - go find someone else whose stopped learning and growing because it sure isn't someone I ever want to be identified as. Enjoy your weekend, JJ, Calgary, AB
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