Friendly advice from Pooh Corner

“You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” ~A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Lately there’s been a lot of press about the “epidemic of loneliness” in America. Apparently, despite our social media connections, we’re not fully engaging with others in healthy, three-dimensional ways.

Here’s the deal: Good relationships require initiation and effort. Too often, I’ve seen others hang back in silence and blame their loneliness on others — because others don’t reach out to them. Maybe they fear rejection. Maybe they’re too shy. Or maybe they’re just too busy to initiate an actual social plan. (“Let’s get together sometime” isn’t a social plan.) Either way, it doesn’t help to wait for someone else to call or extend an invitation. Likewise, inertia never deepens current relationships.

As today’s quote suggests, we have to take responsibility for our own social lives. Posting comments and photos on social media doesn’t count. Is it time to venture out from your corner of the forest? ~CL

Click here to read an article I wrote on how to reboot friendships after the pandemic.

Photo by Cindy La Ferle