Why cause your own loneliness?

I read this quote the other day, and it’s been bouncing around in my head ever since:

“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

I’m not “young” anymore—turning 32 this year—but I’ve watched our world become more and more divided. And what’s strange is, we’ve never had more ways to connect.

Wasn’t that the whole reason for mail, then email, then MySpace, then Facebook? To stay in touch with the people who matter, even when they’re far away?

We had to isolate during the pandemic. But now? We’re choosing it.

We're cutting people off over opinions, faith, politics, race, even tone of voice. And all the while, we’re hurting ourselves with more loneliness.

The world is hard enough. Why make it harder by pushing people away?

I get it. Sometimes we isolate because we’re tired, burned out, disappointed, or we just don’t want to be hurt again. But isolation doesn’t heal those things—it usually just makes them louder.

Make the Effort

My aunt came up with an idea a year ago. She called and said, “Let’s stay in touch more.”

So now, every other Monday, we call and catch up. Nothing formal. No pressure. If we miss one, we already know we’ve got the next one on the calendar. That rhythm matters.

Some of my best friends? We can go months without talking, but when we reconnect, it’s like no time has passed.

But I’ve also lost friendships because I didn’t stay in touch enough. Not on purpose—just busy life. And that’s okay too.

True friendships are rare and worth the effort. I even reconnected with a friend who once took me to court (long story). Years later, he called. We both apologized. We moved on. And we’re still good friends.

So Here's the Challenge

Don’t let yourself drift too far. Reach out. Even if it’s awkward. Even if it’s been a while.

Make time to talk to your people. And give yourself the grace to be imperfect at it.

Put it on your calendar if you need to. That’s not fake—that’s intentional.

And don’t let petty differences or surface-level stuff get in the way of something real. Because you never know who you're going to need until you really need them.

Community isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being known and still welcomed.

Anyway… crap. I just remembered I forgot to text my sister.  Gotta go….