I like the labor analogy. My T says that he is an accompanist, like the piano to the singer, which implies a closer connection than the way you see it. I don't feel like I'm all alone, although my support network is good, and my therapy sessions move me forward. I kind of think you can be alone and you can feel alone, and the 4 possible combinations of those things are different situations. For me the loneliest I ever felt in life was when I was in a relationship that wasn't right for me-- maybe a 3 or 4 year stretch in my early 30's.

I happen to like being alone. After many years being married and now with a teenager a little more than a year to launch date, I relish solitude, crave it, enjoy it. There are ways now that I feel alone even when I'm not-- especially, and kind of dumbly-- this time of year when I miss having a partner who has my back for all kinds of things.