In the age of loneliness, I am not lonely

I read the saddest thing today. Apparently, we live in the Age of Loneliness.

It’s not the digital age, we’re far past the stone age, and it ain’t anything lingering from the space age.

Today, we are lonely.

The average American has only one real friend.

One.

You guys, I depend on people.

MY PEOPLE.

I don’t DO loneliness. It was the darkest feeling in the midst of postpartum depression after Dom was born. Loneliness haunted me, even while I was with a tiny person 24/7.

But today, people exist apart. Or so the research states.

Even though we may go about living and breathing surrounded by people, we don’t have moments of genuine connection with them.

I remember looking for connection on the tube in London. Here I was, an American visiting this foreign country where everyone rode public transit, and I was no longer sitting alone in my car, getting places. I was sitting next to another living, breathing person, no steel walls of my vehicle to separate us, and nobody made eye contact.

We don’t speak to strangers on public transit.

And yet, they all have a story. People are INTERESTING!

As I prepared for becoming a mother of two, I KNEW that I would need a game plan to manage emotions. I wanted to be as ready as I could be for postpartum depression.

I want you to know that I feel like it’s working so far. Life isn’t easy, but it’s GOOD. And one of the big reasons for that is because I don’t often feel lonely. I have my days, but to be honest, that is only my fault now, because I have friends and family who have told me they’re only a text away, or just around the corner.

Did you know that I’ve had neighbors stop by simply to take me out for a walk? Or to drop off groceries? Or to take Dom for a little play date so I could nap with Gabbi? Or to deliver cookies their daughter made especially for me? Friends have dropped off dinner. People have stopped by to visit. They’ve given of their time. I can’t keep track of them all to send thank you cards. I feel like I am surrounded by MANY real friends.

How could I be a happy mom if I only had ONE? Seems like a big burden to ask for love and support from only one person. That poor, one friend of the average American must feel inadequate.

So, this is my shout out to my friends to say thank you. Thank you for scaring away the loneliness.

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