I never really feel alone exactly. I'm a high school teacher, like many others on this forum, and I don't have a single real friend at work. There's not one person I can go to when I'm lonely, need advice, comforting, to share a joke, eat lunch with, etc. And I've been there five years. It baffles me; it really does. I'm not a bad guy. I have lots to offer. Sometimes I think it's the age difference: most of the other teachers are at ten to twenty years younger than me. While I don't see this as a barrier, others may very well do so. I just don't know. I usually eat my lunch alone and watch Youtube videos about fishing and sailing. I used to play chess to keep myself occupied, but I gave that up. At least, when I come home, I have my old friends, my wife, and my tropical fish to keep me company.