how wonderful it is to be able to just sit down across the table over some lunch, or lie in bed with someone on the other line and just pour whatever fragment of a thought, idea, or concern comes to mind. it’s been a general trend in my days. i think, for me, it’s so easy to get caught up in the mindset that i can resolve everything on my own. it stems from the fear of being a burden to anyone, but is that really a valid excuse to keep to myself? empathy—no, maybe not even that, but just the willingness to lend an ear, spare some words when the time calls for it—is so essential in our interactions with others. we get so tangled up in our own heads that sometimes it takes another person’s insight or word of reassurance to extricate ourselves from that mess of thoughts. and you know, as much as we’d like to think it a solo voyage, i’ll always feel like there are times when it’s necessary to step back and realize that life is better with company.