Not Alone

This is not my 50th anniversary blip. But it is day number five and that is sort of worth celebrating, right? I told my good friend in an email this morning that I thought I might blip about loneliness today but then I started contemplating how to capture loneliness in a photo. I suppose there are a hundred ways if only I could narrow it down. Then I glanced out my window and saw this. My neighbor apparently decided to surprise his wife Julie, with these happy birthday wishes and with great fanfare. "Honk it's Julie's 50th." I hope Julie is the kind of woman who doesn't mind the entire community knowing how old she is. My neighbor is a class act, as you can see by the artistic display of spray painted plywood signage. I just hope he didn't buy her a snow plow as a birthday gift thinking that she would find it useful.

Anyway, back to my topic of loneliness - I found this definition on Wikipedia today:

Loneliness is an emotional state in which a person or animal experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation. Loneliness is more than the feeling of wanting company or wanting to do something with another person.

These words stand out to me: powerful feeling, emptiness, isolation

They say that the worst kind of loneliness is when you're not actually alone at all. You know, when you wish that person you care most about would open their heart and talk to you endlessly about their hopes and dreams and ideals. Or when that powerful feeling of isolation envelopes you, but you're in a room full of people that you don't have anything in common with.

I feel lucky today. Earlier I felt lonely, but then I looked out my window and saw the silly antics of my neighbor and for some reason it made me feel less lonely. I've always thought it would be wonderful to live in the country with no neighbors, but today I am thankful that I don't.