Maybe Elvis Wasn't Wrong

"I feel so lonesome, I could cry" isn't a dramatic song. It is my current lifestyle.

Photo: She is I and I, Alone. Photo Description: A Black woman looks depressed and in despair with her eyes looking low. She has the shadow of a window showing on her beige shirt and face. There is also a blueish-gray set of lights before her. Photo Credit: Pressmaster

Written: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Reader discretion is advised. I curse quite a bit in this one.

I am lonely — in a way I understand but don’t.

I need community but I am afraid to invite it in.

I’m uninspired by everyone and everything.

I don’t need sympathy. I just want to crawl out of my own way. Maybe.

After over five years of masking to protect myself and others, I must admit that right now, the fear of having Covid again — and a few other issues — have finally depleted me of all energy to make friendships, join social groups, and even leave my house.

I’ve never had a problem making friends or having associations. No experiment has proven this more than my five-year teaching career. To my hundreds of students, I starte…