Can We Talk About Loneliness

There’s a quiet kind of loneliness that settles in during midlife — not dramatic or visible, just an ache that lives between the busy moments. The house grows quieter. Friendships shift. The roles that once defined us start to loosen. We’re still surrounded by people, but sometimes it feels like fewer of them truly see us. In this week’s Not Done Yet, I talk about that ache — where it comes from, and what it might be trying to tell us.

Loneliness, I’ve realized, isn’t a personal failure. It’s a signal — a gentle reminder from somewhere deep inside that we still crave depth, laughter, surprise. It’s not asking us to withdraw; it’s nudging us to reach out again. Maybe it’s time to text that friend you’ve lost touch with, to say yes to the small invitation, or to simply let yourself be witnessed again — in your honesty, your humor, your messiness, your becoming.

This episode is a reminder that loneliness isn’t the end of the story; it’s a doorway to the next one. Connection doesn’t always return in grand gestures — sometimes it tiptoes back through a shared meal or a walk around the block. When we answer loneliness with intention, it becomes something softer, more human. An opening. A chance to grow new roots in the season we’re in now.