The answers are not hidden in the wind

 On the Way Out series

Vol. 6

Part 9

Many of us old-timers find ourselves alone.

Some have created our own loneliness. Through no fault of our own, some of us find ourselves alone in this big world of ours. How we ended up there is no longer important, but how we deal with the aftermath is -- a mighty challenge for sure, the kind of a challenge that will eat away at our very soul.

There is no age limit on loneliness. We can be young or old and suddenly find ourselves listening to the crickets sing in the middle of a late-summer afternoon or listening to the wind blow late at night. At the same time, an uncut branch of a giant oak tree keeps pace with the wind, swirling and scratching against the window pane.

The noises can overshadow the distant sounds of the traffic in the city or the constant barking of the neighborhood dog just doors away.

We listen for the sounds.

Maybe we have finished the latest chapter of a book, and suddenly, our hands let go, and the book slides down, the pages finally nestling against our chest.

We question the wind. 

Bob Dylan said in a song he wrote in ten minutes back in the early 1960s. He said the answers were blowing in the wind. Yes, it was a political song, and maybe he meant if we ignore such things long enough, the answers to those tough questions will scatter in all directions and disappear forever.

The answers are not hidden in the wind. The crickets are not speaking to us. In fact, the male crickets are lonesome and are actually rubbing their wings to attract the female crickets.

The answer for a lonely cricket is to make plenty of noise. Humans do not have wings, and we handle our emotions differently.

If a good book doesn't get you out of your doldrums, hop to it, get out there, and meet some people.

In this day and age, you are not alone. Millions and millions of people are isolated, and in the past three years, the coronavirus hasn't helped matters.

Please don't wait for the wind to blow, and, as for the crickets, they are too busy to notice you.