Writing is done alone. People do not talk about the things they do alone.

We do not require company. In varying degrees, it bores us, drains us, makes our eyes glaze over. Overcomes us like a steamroller. Of course, the rest of the world doesn't understand.

After what others would call a fun day out together, we feel as if we have been at the Red Cross, donating blood.

And as experienced as I am, it still summons an act of bravery from me, and I like that. I like the idea of setting an example - proving that it is acceptable to be alone in a public place where everyone else is in groups, and to just be sitting there eating, not having to be engrossed in anything else.

Writing is done alone. People do not talk about the things they do alone.

We care. We feel. We think. We do not always miss the absent one. We cannot always come when called. Being friends with a loner requires patience and the wisdom that distance does not mean dislike.

The loner who looks fabulous is one of the most vulnerable loners of all.