I'm so lonely this year even though my family is around. It is not the same anymore because I'm not in a relationship. I asked a man out but he apparently doesn't want to and fireworks have been cancelled due to rain. I'm so tired of feeling this way.

I'm going to wash my car, that way it will rain.
Actually going to be at the park with my boys Dudley and Fenwick.
Don't like large groups, and have seen enough fireworks.
And Outer Limits marathon on Comet. Woo woo!
To quote Suzi Quatro, I'm free to be who I want to be and nobody owns my mind.
I wish you a happy and safe holiday with a hug.

The movie group will have a movie showing tonight for those of us with no plans. Come hang out

If you have a winery close by, they usually have nice entertainment, and normally the people that go to wineries are pretty friendly and open.. try it some time..

I feel the same way sometimes. I guess any time there is a gathering or a celebration, we all want to be included. It's just human nature to look for acceptance and be included in things. It's how we value our self worth I guess. We take it as nobody caring about us or wanting us when we don't get included.

It's financially expensive to have friends and family. My favorite friends live in foreign countries and one in Colorado. When I get my name change, I will eventually fly out to visit them.

Mothers old enough to collect social security fly around the country and foreign countries visiting their children and grandchildren. I honestly don't know how they afford it. Some have jobs paying well into the six figures and some have wealthy husbands. Most of us have neither of those.

Hugs...I know its not much (seeing as I am 1000's miles away) but I'm here

Sometimes I have to spend a holiday alone. My family’s on the west coast and I’m east coast. I have to prepare for it and it turns out well. I’ll get a stack of dvds, chocolate, and make something good. No staying in bed or watching the news. I create an environment I enjoy. Good luck tomorrow. You can do it.

By the way it's just some arbitrary holiday made up by people you don't need to feel obligated to do anything

I long ago abandoned the "should be doing" for holidays, birthdays etc. feeling. Just another day but slightly nicer as I don't have to work today. Not that this day does not have great value, just no more value then any other day.

Check out meetup.com. There are a lot of people out there creating great opportunies to get out and meet people. And you can create your own meetup!

It is important to understand the evolutionary psychology behind loneliness. Prior to civilization, it is likely that humans were very rarely alone because it would have been impossible to survive without being part of a tribe. Even with the onset of civilization it was hard to survive without being part of a group. It hasn't been until recently, with modern economies and entertainment, that being able to survive alone has been feasible.

So, for most of us, we are simply wired to not be alone. Once you realize that, then you are empowered to deal with it. Those who have mastered meditation have proven they can overcome this. Personally, I just realize that I am wired this way and make sure I don't put myself in that situation.

I found a cure for that loneliness. When my major depressive disorder is active, I crave solitude. I'll avoid human interaction if at all possible. It's not a treatment I recommend, as there are other, less pleasant side-effects. lol

Do not despair ! Being retired I am on holiday 24/7/365. you get used to it ?

I have three adult kids that live in my town, one I know will be out of town today. I have no idea what the other two have going on, and haven't invited me to anything. I don't care about fireworks, so my plan is just to do what I wanna do and enjoy my day off. My actual plan is a nap sometime here shortly, and then work on one of my hundreds of projects and stay inside. It is 90° and high humidity so only feels like 100° outside. Too hot for me.

I feel the same only I have just been excluded from participating with a family member and it really hurts. Why are friends more important?

Well...I just spent 3 hours weeding and cleaning up my garden....going to shower now...and probably do bookkeeping and then later check new guests into the BnB this afternoon....and then do a little more gardening this evening. Probably read a book in there somewhere....maybe watch Independence Day on DVD...

Sometimes on holidays I Google "Fun things to do nearby". Maybe I don't want to do something for that specific holiday, but I get out of the house and do something interesting. Last month I ended up going to a Sumo Wresting Tournament. It was fun, and it took my mind off of the holiday tapes I sometimes have going on in my head.

I work nights and weekends. Holidays aren't a big deal for me anymore.

Your post was like watching paint dry. Now there are many who say that is a bad thing. I leave you to draw your own conclusions. But just think of everything that is happening on a molecular level when paint dries. You are watching Millions of cells change their state. That's pretty damn interesting but it don't look like much. One of the advantages of living in a town comprised me and my father who lived with his mother all his life. I would love to dress that up in some Southern Gothic Fairy Tail butt we were just dirt farmer crackers and I considered at a very young age finding for my cells on the streets of the city much preferable to the quotes Easy Living in the country full of its men.

I kind of have this hobby of trying to write the longest run-on sentence ever and you know you could just leave the periods out but that's not fair. It must maintain continuity... Challenge or do you get silly like that?

Just remember just a little nonsense now and then is appreciated by the wisest men. That of course is the artistic men meaning Life as a whole. But you figured that out I'm sure

I am admittedly a proud introvert. I rarely leave my one room palace for anything beyond going to the store and to the doctor. Although not absolutely alone I prefer solitude over events that are filled with attitudes and points of view that I don't appreciate and result in debates and arguments that are unnecessary. I am quite able to amuse myself and see holidays as just days. Nothing special.

I've felt this way before as well and so I definitely empathize.

If you feel like flying solo today, then go do something - anything - that would be cool for you. Do something you've always wanted to do but never took the time. Maybe do something kind for someone less fortunate today (because there is always someone else worse off). Whatever it is, treat the time alone with appreciation because you are someone worthwhile. So, act the same as you would when you knew you were going to spend time with anyone else that's cool. Do something worthwhile.

All the best to you today!

Just keep browsing here today, it will be much cooler (that sun’s lovely to look at but a killer to be out in), but more importantly you won't feel so alone. Maybe this evening you could go and join in watching fireworks somewhere. Tomorrow I recommend you go join a group doing something you enjoy to make some new friends and maybe by the next 4th July you won't find yourself on your own.

I spent New Year's right here, by myself, relaxing... nothing wrong with time to yourself. Might have a hot dog with the kid tomorrow but nothing bigger planned.