Someone I have not met before visited our Quaker meeting this morning. It is a practice at most meetings that someone is at the door greeting people as they arrive, and so I had an opportunity to say hello and shake hands with ‘Ella’ at the very start. As we all shared refreshments afterwards I noticed that a Friend had engaged Ella in conversation. And a bit later Ella rose to leave. We managed a brief and light conversation at this point, about nothing much in particular. We shared a joke about the long-standing (mainly affectionate) rivalry between the counties of Suffolk and Norfolk – an example of finding common ground – and it felt good.

As I write this it is only the afternoon and later I may well have another opportunity for another friendly chat with a stranger. But in the meantime I have been reflecting on loneliness and that many people do not have much interaction with others, which can make things far worse. The charity Mind has some useful tips about what might help.  Mind says: Being alone is not the same as being lonely (and that)  People usually describe feeling lonely for one of two reasons:

• they simply don’t see or talk to anyone very often
• even though they are surrounded by people, they don’t feel understood or cared for.

Of course ‘a stranger’ may not be lonely, they may not be especially troubled, they may not be having a difficult day. However I know that some folk can become or feel almost invisible, even when in a crowd. So acknowledging their presence, showing an interest, smiling, and speaking even briefly to someone may help a little – it’s worth a go. I also know that when I have been feeling down, a smile from a stranger or saying ‘good morning’ as we pass, or perhaps a kindness from someone on the checkout, can make all the difference.