All the lonely people

There are so many reasons why people are lonely.  People die, people move, silly arguments separate people who once were close to each other.

Sometimes, in spite of friends and family and support, our own insecurity or fear isolate us and make us lonely.

For some people, the advent of the Internet and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and Instagram allowed people with little physical social contact to create a virtual community.  For these people, their loneliness was greatly eased by social media.

For others, however, the presence of yet another way that people connect to each other left us feeling more isolated.

It is perfectly normal to feel lonely sometimes, and in fact, it is probably healthy to feel lonely sometimes.  Experiencing loneliness helps us appreciate the people in our lives who take away that lonely feeling.

One of the problems with feeling lonely is that it makes it hard to reach out to others.  And the longer the loneliness lasts, the harder reaching out becomes.  And the loneliness starts to feed on itself, and then it can consume you.

What to do when feeling lonely?  I'm always afraid to suggest calling someone on the phone or texting someone, because if you don't get the response you expect, it can make it even harder to make the next contact.

Another thing you can do is volunteer.  Just about every organization needs volunteers.  At first, you may feel more lonely and isolated, as all the other volunteers know each other.  But if you keep showing up, eventually the connections you make will ease your loneliness, or just knowing the good you are doing by volunteering will ease your loneliness.

If you are an animal lover, volunteering to work with animal rescue groups or shelters may give you the boost you need.  Animals offer unconditional love, and that is a great balm for loneliness.

What can you do if you are not lonely, but know of others who are, or are worried about others?

First, be kind.  Find inoffensive non-threatening conversations to have with people.  Call friends.  Tag people on social media with good memories.  Smile at strangers.  Compliment people. Listen.

I know I repeat this over and over again, but we are all just trying to make it here on earth.  Some people's path is easier than others.  Some people have incredible challenges.  Some people love to be alone and are never lonely.  Some people are surrounded in a crowd and yet feel incredibly isolated and lonely.

If each of us that can make the effort every day to be a kind and gentle presence, someone who needs the fortification of a stranger's kindness will receive it.  I believe that there is a huge well of love and kindness in most of us.  We lavish that love and kindness on the beings that share our lives.  We love them abundantly.

That huge well of love and kindness is continually made bigger by showing love and kindness.  We all have plenty of extra to share with all the creatures we meet.

Whether in person or virtually, if you can show love and kindness in at least one interaction today, that love or kindness may be the one action that someone needs to feel less lonely, to feel less isolated, to feel less alone.

We all live in the world we notice and support.  If you want to live in a kinder, gentler world, it is as easy and as hard as showing more kindness and gentleness.

We all need connection.  We all need support.  We all need love.  Reminding ourselves that we're all just struggling souls trying our best to get by can help remind us that we can help each other.

One kind word, one gentle action at a time.