David and I were sitting outside a cafe near the park. We had waffles, lemon juice and two dogs between us—his fluffy sidekick Pluto and my ever-hyper Kong, who was trying to charm the last bite of waffle from my plate with his eyes.
He sipped his lemon juice, then looked down at Pluto, who was calmly resting his head on David’s knee.
“You know, Bob,” he said, “sometimes I just feel alone. I mean, I’ve got this guy,” he added, scratching Pluto behind the ears, “I’ve got work, which keeps me busy. My parents visit often but when the noise dies down, it’s just me it hits me. There’s no one to share it with.”
I nodded, letting the words hang in the air.
“I’ve thought about getting married,” he continued, “but honestly? It scares me. What if I choose wrong? What if I lose myself in the process? Or worse—what if it doesn’t fix the loneliness?”
I looked at him for a moment and then at Kong, who had now given up and was flopped over on the grass like a dropped coat.
“David,” I said, “being single can feel heavy sometimes—not because something’s missing but because everything’s quiet. We’re not always taught how to sit in that quiet and still feel whole.”
He glanced at me, curious.
“Here’s what I’ve learned,” I continued. “Loneliness doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you. It just means you’re human. Sometimes, that ache isn’t about needing someone else—it’s about needing you to slow down and reconnect with yourself.”
He nodded slowly, taking that in.
“You’re not behind,” I added. “You’re not broken. You’re just in a season where you’re learning to love your own company. When the time comes—if it comes—you’ll be choosing love from a place of strength, not fear.”
David smiled faintly and looked down at Pluto, who wagged his tail like he agreed.
“Thanks, Bob,” he said. “I needed that. It’s easy to forget that being alone doesn’t mean being incomplete.”
“It doesn’t,” I said, raising my cup of lemon juice. “Here’s to waffles, dogs and the slow magic of our own company.”
To you, dear reader—if you find yourself sitting in the silence of single-hood and wondering if something’s wrong with you, let me remind you: there isn’t. You’re not behind. You’re not broken. You’re building something steady within yourself. Yes, being single can feel difficult but that doesn’t mean you’re not already whole.
Let love find you, sure but don’t forget to love the life you have, even in the quiet.
