"It Is Not Good For Man - Or Woman - To Be Alone"

If I have learned anything from listening to my heart over the past several years, as well as the plaintive wailings of hearts trapped in bodies ravaged by eating disorders and other addictions in hospitals and treatment centers around the country, it is that nothing paralyzes the soul, mind and body more profoundly or more completely than loneliness.  Simply put: “It is not good for man (or woman) to be alone.” Genesis 2:18.  That simple premise hasn't changed since the beginning of time and it is highly unlikely to change before the end of it.  Too often, however, the "royal we" (i.e, parents, family members, treatment professionals, etc.) overlook (or discount) the critical role that true companionship and the sense of "belonging" and acceptance that comes with it play in a healthy and fulfilling life and in the recovery journey of those afflicted with eating disorders and other addictions. With that in mind, I thought I'd spend the next few days reflecting on the many "faces' of loneliness, the compelling and urgent need to be more attentive and responsive to its presence in our lives and in the lives of others and a few simple steps I believe each of us can take to help find a cure for the "disease" of loneliness in our lifetime.