During a recent visit to Vancouver by my sister Rosie and her husband Keith, the subject of loneliness came up.
My chosen lifestyle of wandering around house/pet sitting these days, prompted Rosie to ask, "Don't you ever get lonely?" My response was that I couldn't really think of a time in my life when I ever felt lonely**. This got me to thinking of just why that might be the case, and for what it is worth, here is my take on the subject.
Fortunately for me by the time I was born, there were already four older sisters inhabiting the house that I grew up in. Now, even though I was unaware of all the attention I must have been given in those early years, I think it helped to form a foundation of feeling secure in the world around me.
I grew up in a very loving environment, and when one feels loved, it's difficult in my humble opinion, to feel lonely. That feeling of being loved has carried right through to the present day, and I am grateful for that.
Even though we all live in different parts of the world these days, which results in infrequent communication, it's comforting to know that they are there.
And it keeps the loneliness at bay. Thanks sisters.
Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful (but never lonely) Wanderer
**Upon re-reading this short essay, I would only clarify that when it comes to spreading the message of climate change which I often talk about here, then I feel quite alone. But other than that, loneliness is not an issue for me due to the reasons stated above.
And one final thought...
I did have a moment of terror back in 2003 when I thought that the sailboat I was on in the middle of the Indian Ocean, was holed, and was going down. It was dark, I was alone in my cabin, and in that moment, I have to admit, I felt very, very, alone.
Nice blog update BHS.
ReplyDelete