I think being alone and being lonely are two different things. I find that when I am “being alone,” I am watching television at weird hours, thinking it is normal for a single person to think about such things as family pictures on the wall; wondering what happened to the little kids in those pictures, and thinking aloud that they all made it. Being alone and making a meal require little effort. I simply choose between an avocado or peanut butter. Neither one is necessarily a great choice, but who is going to complain? I could blame my wife for my being alone, but how is that going to help? She would just tell me to get over it and to do something constructive.

There are times in your life when being melancholy is a rite of passage. Being in this space allows me to write with more insight about myself and to walk long distances without paying attention to anything going on around me. That includes the curb I did not see, and where the heck did that beautiful sunset come from? You know what? Negative thinking enters our psyche because we allow it to. I am making the whole story up anyway. If I am alone and feeling bad about it, I can just as easily not be alone with myself and enjoy the experience. So, instead of blaming Barb for my being alone, I choose to enjoy the sunset until it is gone and eat peanut butter because I can.