A shout out to all the people living on their own

A shout out to all the people living on their own.

The divorced, the widowed, the separated, the Van lifers, the poor, the sick, the old, the mentally ill. Those who are not living with others, and have no one to turn to when they need a chat, a hug or a smile. The ones with no one to drive them mad with the endless mess, requests for food, their anxieties or to ask to hold their camera for tik tok dances. No, there's no one else to take out the bins, tidy up after, or cook for.

Everything such people relied on for sanity is gone.

There's no eating out, popping over to a friend for a chat/coffee, no clubs, groups, societies or communities to engage with face to face, sweaty armpit to too close nose. They just have themselves and technology, and it all feels like just one more barrier, a sort of connection, but like it's happening in a time vortex, cut off from the real persons by time or space, unable to share, connect, feel, or use the majority of our bodily senses to 'belong' or feel 'secure'.

At the weekends this is all a whole lot worse because those with other premise dwellers tend to shift from their daily routine to maximise the benefit of the time without 'work' or study. And of course what 'normal' person wouldn't..? but weekends show us all the more how alone single people are, and sure they can still busy themselves with the day to day things they do. - water our plants, deal with boring self-care, read something, watch something, work on something, cook something, occupy time and all that, but for the majority, they didn't choose THIS level of isolation. They didn't sign up for endless days/weeks of not interacting with friends, being in their space, eating, drinking, belonging with them... yet that's what they have. That's their burden to bear.

Their entire support network is no longer in reach of the majority of their senses..

So if you have friends, family or connections in your circle who live on their own whether young or old, you need to consider what you can do to help.

• Call them
• Go sit in their garden/patio/yard and talk to them within respectable social distancing.
• Invite them to walk with you
• Send them something to let them know you are thinking about them (an email, a card, an instant message, a stupid meme you thought they'd appreciate, heck a 6 pack of their favourite beer)
• Spray your perfume/cologne through their letterbox
• Give them even 5 mins of your time at the weekend.

They have 48 hours to fill before the 'new normal' routine starts again,, it's a grueling slog to get through it and with each new weekend the slog feels harder. I know you have your own struggles, and I can well imagine getting driven up the wall by those you share a toilet with is a very real challenge in itself, but for the love of God, for next weekend, don't forget them, because they need you too..