July 11 is a day to remember those who are lonely. All different kinds of people can be lonely, from those who know no one because of being in a new situation, to those who have lost a significant loved one, to those in nursing homes, to empty nesters. Whatever the reason, today is a day to remember them. Francis Pesek of Detroit, Michigan created this special holiday. His daughter, L.J. Pesek reports that he “was a quiet, kind, wonderful man who had a heart of gold. The idea came to him as a way of promoting kindness toward others who were lonely or forgotten as shut-ins or in nursing homes.”
All of us have been lonely at some time in our lives. Surely, we all know someone right now who is lonely. Today is a day to look around and think about those we interact with each day. A new neighbor might welcome a plate of cookies. A newcomer at work might welcome a lunch invitation, or just someone to talk to. A person who fights depression can especially use a listening ear. If no one of your acquaintance fits the bill, plenty of folks in nursing homes would welcome a visit. My Mother lives in a nursing home, and all of us siblings are too far away to visit very often. She has friends there, but she misses family. Though we can be lonely at any age – children too – older folks have a different loneliness, as they have seen so many friends and family pass away. New friends are good, but you never stop missing the old ones.
So the assignment today is to acknowledge someone who is lonely, preferably in person, but a card, phone call, or email is also a way to show you care. As an introvert, however, I do feel the need to point out that there is a world of difference between solitude and loneliness. Some of us cherish that alone time, and do not need cheering up! But all will welcome a kind word and a plate of cookies – or healthy food if you must.
Quotes about loneliness
The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.–F. Scott Fitzgerald
We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.–Albert Schweitzer
The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness.–Norman Cousins
Loneliness is the ultimate poverty.–Pauline Phillips
The trouble is not that I am single and likely to stay single, but that I am lonely and likely to stay lonely.–Charlotte Brontë
There is no loneliness like that of a failed marriage.–Alexander Theroux
I’m lonely. And I’m lonely in some horribly deep way and for a flash of an instant, I can see just how lonely, and how deep this feeling runs.–Augusten Burroughs
This world that I live in is empty and cold
The loneliness cuts me and tortures my soul.–Waylon Jennings
Loneliness is my least favorite thing about life. The thing that I’m most worried about is just being alone without anybody to care for or someone who will care for me.–Anne Hathaway
Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering—and it’s all over much too soon.–Woody Allen
Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.–Maya Angelou
What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.–Kurt Vonnegut
The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.–Mother Teresa
Loneliness is about the scariest thing out there.–Joss Whedon
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