for all the things I love about my work, here's one thing that I don't: it's lonely.

Writing is a lonely, solitary act. Most of the time, I truly enjoy sitting down and crafting an article that's good, descriptive, and informative. I get a great sense of accomplishment from the finished product. But the process is often hard for me. I'm a bit of an introvert, but not so much so that the hours of quiet solitude don't start to wear on me. I often feel isolated. Disconnected. Or outright lonely. Not just lonely, but alone.

One of my top strengths in the StrengthsFinders test was Relator. Essentially it means that close relationships are important to me. One of the "suggestions" from the test was to make regular time for friends, no matter how busy my schedule gets. "We're in this together" is the motto of the Relator. I like that motto. It's the way I think things should be. And time with my friends reinforces the feeling that we're all working towards something together. The hard part is that friends don't always have time. We're busy people. It's not an excuse, just reality. So I have to learn how to stay productive and energetic even when I haven't spent any significant amount of time with the people I feel closest to.

Sounds needy doesn't it.
I know.
But whether it's needy or "just the way that I am", it is - in fact - just the way that I am. Some people like the idea of being a lone wolf. I'm not one of those people.
Unfortunately, my work forces me - more often than I would like - to behave like a lone wolf.