Some people believe that you can only be lonely when you are alone. I totally disagree. Some of my most profound loneliness has been when I have been surrounded by people, or even with someone right next to me. I lived alone for many years and spent a rather isolated life (by choice). I loved my own company and almost never felt lonely.
Two of my favourite quotes are:
- My solitude doesn’t depend on the presence or absence of people; on the contrary, I hate who steals my solitude without, in exchange, offering me true company Friedrich Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
- Before I met you, I was not lonely, but now I’m so lonely I talk to the walls and sing to the ceiling (Tayari Jones, An American Marriage)
In my previous marriage, I have never felt such yawning loneliness. With my now-husband, he gives me both solitude and company. He makes me a better person.
