Katherine
Last Saturday night I met up with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. We didn’t do anything too craycray, unless you count talking, making toast, and watching Harold and Maude in the basement of my house that actually isn’t a basement but used to be a garage and is now a room but there’s no word for that yet. Garage-room. Now there is.
So it wasn’t crazy party times or anything, but it was still really right. (Not that we ever party hard. I think the last time we hung out we drove around town looking for something to do before coming home and watching a costume spelling bee on TV.)
Despite this, the next night, aka tonight, I just felt really lonely. I know that come Monday, I will feel super lonely—as in Rory-Gilmore-sitting-at-a-lunch-table-alone-with-a-book-and-an-MP3-player lonely. It’s not that I have no friends or anything. I get to see one of my BFFLs every day at school. I just feel distant a lot of the time. Like I know people and can laugh with them, but I don’t really know them.
It’s like stars. Stay with me here. When you’re younger you always see the stars in the sky as if they were on the same plane. Like they’re really close together. Then one day someone, probably a teacher who wears clogs, tells you that they’re actually really really far apart and have varying depths and stuff. It just looks like the stars are all up there partying together when really, they’re really distant. SEE THE PARALLEL?
We were sort of talking about this in French class the other day. Our teacher told us that, in France, it’s generally more difficult to make an initial connection with someone, but really easy to get to know people really personally. Also, the way they get to know one another is through epically long dinner conversations or just hanging out. She compared it with friendships here, where it’s flipped. A lot of the kids in my class said that they’d rather have it the American way, because everyone is friendlier. But isn’t that so much lonelier? I’d rather have strangers ignore me and have a few close friends than have everyone be really nice and just not care. Doesn’t that make more sense? Wouldn’t you care so much more about the friends you did have that way? ♦
Katherine, the French way sounds infinitely better (not to mention that everyone would be speaking French, so, yeah.) It’s not hard to strike up a conversation with someone here, but it never goes beyond that, and since I’m chronically awkward (and not in a cute manic-pixie way,) small talk is DEATH for me.
Hence, I have very few people I consider my friends… but I’m SO close to them. So that’s nice, I guess.
I love these diaries. They make me feel less lonely, so thanks for that. :]
Log in to replyI haven’t been alone for four years so I don’t know what that’s like, but I am lonely most of the time. When the loneliness is really bad it feels like my body is consuming itself from the inside out.
Log in to replydylan, this totally brightened my day! totally awesome movie like boy crush things CAN happen in real life!!!!
katherine, i know what you mean about having people you can talk to and laugh with but who you don’t really know (and they don’t really know you). i transferred to a new college this semester and i feel like that a lot!
Log in to replyYes, i agree with the friends thing, but unfortunately it is the american way for me (and i don’t even live in america!). Oh, and last night I had a dream with all of my friends in it, and everything i was thinking about before going to bed (NCIS and Breaking Dawn)… thats CREEPY, or maybe these things happen all the time…
Log in to replyi like that you dreamt about NCIS
Log in to replyOh my god.
Log in to replylike, today was actually such a bad day for me. Nothing went wrong, I should have been happy, I should always be happy now that my hellish eighth grade year is done. But I was just so sad all day. I felt so lonely, like no one would care if I just disappeared, like I was so boring and incompetent. I’ve been feeling this way ever since I found out my great uncle, whom Ive never met since infanthood, committed suicide, and it brought back a flood of memories from when I used to feel that way four years ago.
And then I come home and I read this, and even seeing the description–”This week: Loneliness and cures for same”–well, I almost started crying because it was exactly what I needed. Katherine, I loved your analogy about the stars, and Naomi, I totally know how it feels to be the more engaged friend. This weeks diaries were exactly what I needed, especially considering this months theme was Girl Gangs and I’m starting to feel friendless again even though my rational mind KNOWS i’m not. I’m a sick messed up creature, but at least I’m not the only lonely one. :)
dylan-at first i was kind of bummed that you didn’t end up moving in with your friend. but then i was like, well this stopped her from having to make that hard desicion! i totally understand the different points in life deal! and by the way…you made me miss 19 where microwave popcorn was breakfast <3
Log in to replytotally, but now I’m moving in with two girls from my school, one who was my roommate freshman year and one of my best friends, and another really really cool babe. it’s a better roommate situation, even though I won’t be living with my bffl4evr, which is totally chilllll, man. just doing what’s best for all of the everbodies!
Log in to replyoh my goodness, dylan…you’re having the best life ever!!! i’m so happy for you!
Log in to replyLiterally having the nineteen-year-old salt-and-vinegar-chips-for-dinner night right now.
Log in to replyDylan, that sounds so awesome, I’m so happy for you!!
Ruby
Log in to replytherubylotus.wordpress.com
Naomi’s diary entry = SO RELATABLE
Log in to replythat makes me happy
Log in to replySome of these stories really related to me such as Katherine’s story. I really like how Rookie posts things that pretty much everyone can relate too.
Log in to replyAaw what a wonderfull teenmovie you are living at the moment <3 sweet. I love it when I meet a person who has the nerves to listen me explain all about my vinyls and fave movies.
I believe that we all should live our lives in a way that they´ll make a interesting movie :D it aint that hard when U just let go of your fears and flow from the heart <3
http://steamedsnowpeas.blogspot.com/
Log in to replyMe and Katherine are starting to synchronise!
Log in to replyPresently I feel like Naomi (minus the homeschool) but Dylan is bascially living out my dream future..
I live for these Diaries and i think you guys are soo brave and honest to share them with us… :)
Log in to replySo pretty much I love Katherine’s post… It’s like how I think all the time. I feel like, sort of detached all the time, but it’s not like a jerky, selfish, emo “No one could possibly understand me” kind of thing, it’s just like an observation that is kind of bothersome. But also, my BFFL (she’s going to read this probably and laugh at that term) “party” it up all the time. Movie watching… lurking around her living room at late hours. Making pom poms. Oh wait. We’ve even done the whole “lets drive around and find something to do” thing, but it was our other friend that was making us, and I was peeved when we finally settled down to watch a movie, because I lost so much gas :( oh look at me, thinking like a grown up person and caring about such things as economy (is that the right term?) anyways, totally related to Katherine’s post. So yeah.
Log in to replyI totally agree with this! I’m from England, but I guess it’s pretty much the same over here. I have tons of friends as well, but I never really get to know them, and none of them really know me. Its really hard to explain and all, but I wish that I also had some really close friends who actually cared and knew me really well!
Log in to replyI know EXACTLY how you feel Katherine! I go to a reaaaly small school,
Log in to replyand sometimes i just look down the hall and realize I know everyone, but I hardly KNOW anyone.
Dylan i can so relate to you. Sometimes your life is just amazing and it feels like a movie and you just wish there was some music playing while your having those special ‘moments’!
Log in to replyemotional roller coaster ride. thanks for being so honest and open to your audience. all the best!
Log in to replyReading all of these at the end of my day make me feel less lonely. Thank you guys!
Log in to replyI have been living in France for the past 11months and have found what Katherines French teacher said very true… people seem to keep their distance intially and it was really hard at the start, but taking the time to actually get to know people i have found some really speacial soul-matey friends :)
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