This Pearls Before Swine comic warmed my heart and made me laugh. I can’t post it here unless I pay for it, but the link works and the interchange is:
GOAT: Do you ever get lonely?
RAT: Lonely? I’m the best company a person can have. And I get me all to myself.
GOAT: That’s one way to look at it.
RAT: Now you I can see being lonely.
I don’t like the putdown at the end, but I think the ability to enjoy our own company is a valuable life skill, and our society discourages it. I keep reading articles about how the more friends and social interactions we have the happier we are. I think that’s only partially true. If we never spend time alone we never get to know ourselves and we have less to give to other people.
And sometimes we have some interests different from the people we like and love, so it’s doing everyone a favor to learn to be happy pursuing them on our own. It’s not an either-or thing. We can still enjoy listening to other people’s enthusiasms and share our common interests.
And, of course, with blogging we have a wider range of friends to share our interests and experiences with so we’re all enriched.
What do you think?
April 24, 2023
Yep, I get lonely but that’s a small % of my life.
I wanted to have more groceries delivered tomorrow but online shopping (at my store) is closed tomorrow, one of our last public holidays before winter sets in ANZAC – no shops open until after 1pm. So of course, it meant having the order arrive in the “dark” (it wouldn’t be dark in the summer)…and it’s mostly put away except for things that don’t need to be chilled or frozen.
So I may not have actually talked to anyone today, but he will do 🙂
I did however, post some art work I just revamped – had the messenger with H about buying a mattress – answered people who commented at f/b and IG. Watched a replay of a zoom broadcast to do with my online learning…
One of the pluses of this gadget – it’s easy to find someone to “listen to” and/or “watch”
Have great day wherever thee may roam…
It sounds as if you are doing great on the whole. Thumbs up! And hugs.
I believe that some people are only happy with friends/relatives and others are happy being alone. I enjoy the things i do each day, but have a friend Jackie who must be going somewhere. my oldest son never goes anywhere and is happy, my other younger son, is a social butterfly. just like some love to travel others do not.. mostly I think some can entertain themselves and others cant
Yes, it takes all sorts to make a world. And that’s the way it should be. 🙂
Well, I do think this depends entirely on the individual. Some people are kind of born loners. I believe only children are better at keeping busy by themselves, as they grew up this way.
I wonder if that’s true. Andy and I both had siblings, I had one and he, three.
I used to loathe being an only child, but never felt particularly lonely. Speaking from experience, some of the times I’ve felt the most lonely were in a crowded workplace
I’ve never considered myself a loner — but now that I’m retired, I love having the choice to mingle. Or not. Aside from Monday mornin Bible study, I most enjoy the mingling we bloggers get to do everyday on line!
I love connecting through blogging too. 🙂
I suppose most of the time I do enjoy my own company. I can keep myself entertained. I won’t say that I never get lonely though.
Andy and I each spend a lot of time alone happily working on our projects, but we both agree that when something happens to one of us the other will be left with a big hole in their heart.
I’m a writer so I’m very, very comfortable spending time in quiet. I also love spending time with my girlfriends and my best friend of all, my husband.
I chose well. Both in the friends I have and the husband I married. All of which are comfortable spending time by themselves.
Being lonely, or sad, or anything is all part of life. With or without people around us, these are normal human experiences. It’s a wonderful thing, really.
You are rich in the things that matter. 🙂