Alone again, naturally

I've said it before and here it is again: The journey is not meant to be taken alone. However, there may be times when it feels like you're alone and friendless in the world, when no one seems to care, when people misunderstand you, or understand you and reject you because of who you are. People disappoint us, acting in ways we don't understand, in ways that don't fit the pattern of what we have come to expect of them. When people don't even treat us with common courtesy or with respect, we can get angry or feel hurt, or both. These reactions are normal. If such people are important to us, we can express our feelings to them, but not in an angry or hurtful way, but in a way that invites continued friendship and dialogue. If these persons aren't important to us, we can choose not to show our anger or hurt, but to go on without them, without getting ugly.

This is easy to write, but much harder to put into practice. I know I don't take disappointment well. I tend to ask myself what's wrong with me, but in fact there's nothing wrong with me. I need friends to travel this road with me. If I have but one friend, that will be enough. The truth is, there are many out there on the journey with me, but I haven't met them yet. And I confess, I want one special friend to share this journey with. But that will have to wait a while.

Chuck