An acquaintance is clearly lonely. I noticed it on her face and in her actions recently. I ached for her, and wondered what I could do. Honestly, I don't have what she needs--what she needs is like-companions, yet she's holding on to a life that doesn't provide that for her.
There was a time in my life when I was lonely. I remember how that felt, and eventually I worked myself out of that situation via a number of well-informed decisions and some good support from loving friends and family members.
When I see loneliness, I want to help, and it is difficult when I don't have the answer. We can reach out and be there for people like that, but sometimes when we try too hard, we do more harm than good. Yet, it's always good to know that someone cares about you.
Sometimes we do have to experinece the difficult times in order to see what we need to make life better. For my acquaintance, it seems that she's wrestling with this right now. Some time ago, I had another acquaintance in a similar situation, then she made a significant change. In a sense, she found her people and her life got better as well as less lonely.
Loneliness is painful and I will continue to think about what I might do to help. Any suggestions?