Alone at Smitty's

I had brunch/lunch with a friend at Smitty's on Broadway...that's in Idaho Falls. During the course of lunch, I noticed the clientele was mostly decidedly higher in age than myself. There were groups and couples of elderly people, and a few pairings of friends. And then there was the fellow who sort of hobbled in and was greeted by name enthusiastically by the hostess, who asked him which of the girls he'd like to serve him today. I smiled wryly.

Then there was the elderly woman sitting at a table by herself. She smiled when speaking with her server, and when she was just sitting there, she just looked...quiet. She seemed like a regular from my casual observation. I wondered if this was part of her daily or Monday routine. No wedding ring, I wondered if she at least had family or friends in the area. Perhaps she did have friends and family and generally saw them a few times a week, and this just happened to be one of the few times she had to herself to enjoy a peaceful meal. But she had a sort of resigned look about her which I couldn't help but wonder about. Was she lonely? Was this what her social interaction was like? Did she live alone and go to the diner as her way of being around people? Did she look around the room at the happy groupings of people connecting and laughing together and push away feelings of loneliness? Had she been single all her life and was all-too-familiar with loneliness, numb by now? I chose to stop wondering because I didn't know what I could do even if she was lonely, and I didn't want to speculate.

But one thing I do know: when I talk to people who are lonely, or when I see people I know don't have family or friends, especially elderly people spending the sunset of their lives alone, my heart aches so much, and I wish I could do something to help them. There are few things that tug at my ol' heart strings more than people genuinely feeling unloved or unlovable or resigning themselves to life without meaningful connection. I know I can't fill the void or fix a lifetime of neglect of or ineptitude in relationships. I don't feel responsible for anyone's happiness, and I know those who care about me wouldn't want me feeling obligated or tied down on their account, but I want to do what I can to keep anyone I care about from being utterly lonely or just having nobody to go to lunch or dinner with.