Am I the Only One?

Not too long ago I was perusing the book in which we face each other and saw that someone I go to church with is not only a nice person, but she is trained in special education.  Since I have a child that has special needs I had some questions for her.  So, I sent her a message.  

And she answered!  Not only did she answer, she did some research and really tried to help me with a problem I was having.  We decided to meet sometime and discuss some of my questions and fears.

One Wednesday night before worship band practice we met at the Pizza Hut to eat and talk.  I'm not sure what either of us really had in mind for the evening but I learned something about myself.  

I assume.  

It may be arrogant or ignorant but I assume that everyone else has a life full of friends and a support system that I do not feel that I have myself.  I think the modern woman is expected to do it all and yet there is one thing sorely lacking.  Friendship.

I made a comment that night that I didn't feel like I had that many friends, not so much on a lifelong scale or on social media, but in the here and now.  And you know what my friend said?  She said that she doesn't feel that she has that many friends either.

Tonight I was catching up on some blogs that I read and I read this .  

Why do we do this to ourselves?  Why do we hold each other at arm's length and assume that the person we are looking at has it all together and isn't lonely, scared or just needing someone to listen?  

I'm writing this down, not because I have an answer to the problem but because it is frustrating to me that we have so much trouble being real.  

There are many people that I love who go through terribly hard things and keep them to themselves either for fear of what others would think or because they feel they have to put up a strong facade, which is such a lie. 

I am so flawed and struggling most every day of my life.  Not to say that I am not blessed and happy.  But life is hard.  

Why don't we do it together?