Alone or lonely or both? This concept keeps cropping up for me and I wonder about it. I just received my order of Louise Hay’s “Power Thoughts for Teens” Affirmation cards. They are beautiful and brilliant. I sifted through the deck enjoying their messages immensely. And, then, my dear friend loneliness reared her head again and begged the question, “Are lonely and alone interchangeable terms or mutually exclusive?”
After my father’s sudden passing, I wrote my mother a note inspired by some artwork I purchased in Sedona, AZ. I wrote, “While you may feel lonely, please know that you are not alone”. Now, this may have brought her some limited comfort because the fact of the matter was, she was alone! However, my hope was to buoy her emotionally to understand that my sister and I and all our friends and family were there for her. I made a distinction between alone and lonely. One seemed worse than the other. But, in Louise’s words, they are one and the same and both Okay. As she says: “It’s Okay to Be Lonely Now and Then. I Use My Alone Time to Weave Positive dreams about my future”.
I will still grapple this… I do not like the concept of Being Lonely! I’m off to find some company!