Thoughts that Linger January 4, 2007
Posted by Jen in : Journal, Novel , 8 commentsReading through some of my notes for The Novel, I found some ponderings on loneliness. It’s kind of a latent theme I guess. I’ve been lonely myself, of course. When the babies were, well, babies. The two times in my adult life I’ve moved from the relative security of the rock. Jersey was claustrophobic. Being lonely is more so.
I was talking recently to Gill, a friend of a friend. She is in her late 60s. She’s great: irreverent, clever, funny, vibrant, musical… but, when she looks in the mirror, she sees “fat, hair falling out, body in decline…”. And she has immense regret at “letting life slip by”. How can that be? Why doesn’t she see what others see?
In one of the awful ‘fiction for losers’ mags I read now and then (for research purposes, I hasten to add) I found a Personals section. One lady was “looking for friendship - for trips to the theatre, cinema and other more mundane things such as a chat over a cup of tea.”
How do people become so lonely? And will my novel become as morose I feel at this moment if I delve into the concept?
“Never, ever wish your life away.”
Haunting me, that is. I think it might be important?
