We all like our alone time in certain doses. It is often that quiet time that we use to rejuvenate and nourish our souls to deal with the rest of the world. However, when that alone time increases to become a major part of our lives, it truly does become a power that is difficult to handle. Being around people is part of what contributes to the fabric of our life and knowing that we are loved and cared about is what helps validate the very reason that we are here.

One of the main reasons I started the Bring Smiles to Seniors program was because of what I experienced when I visited my grandmother in her nursing home before she passed. The sad and lonely faces every time I was in her community touched me in a way that would change my life forever. There were people who no longer had family visiting, those who had just been left to live out the remainder of their lives and others who had simply outlived all those who were part of their family core. No one asked for this, it was simply the point their lives had come to.

Their loneliness was on full display and it made me think about all the times that I felt alone. Even those of us who have family and friends that we can rely on have our moments where, despite all that support, we feel alone and abandoned. Those moments where we are dealing with something or going through something that makes us feel like we are the only ones in the world. It is part of being human and a very natural emotion. Think about what happens when we enjoy all that support, get used to it, and eventually wind up in an unfamiliar place without those around that we loved and cared for. Those are the very people that we try and touch every single day through our program.

Those who are strong and resolved and perfectly comfortable in their own skin when being alone, have a much easier time dealing with those times when no one is around. However, those that are dependent on others for stimulation and soul nourishing have a much harder time dealing with the isolation that loneliness brings. We all feel it at one time or another, but fortunately it is usually only a passing moment and then we get back to the reality of our lives. It is those that endure it day in and out that are the most vulnerable to the effects of loneliness.

The next time your are alone and feeling uncomfortable, think about those that are in the same situation, just multiplied. Make an effort and do something to make someone else’s life a little less lonely. In doing so you will address your own loneliness and both of you will have made your lives a little better for it.

Have a great day and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron

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