The Antonym Of Lonely

In sickness or in health, it's wonderful to be the opposite of lonely. According to a quick Google-researching, the "official" antonyms of lonely are: befriended, loved, and unlonely, which, doesn't really seem like a real word but I'll take it.

Lonely. The thought of alone-ness -- loneliness. My heart and attention have been very drawn to focus on the excruciating truth that exists all around us. I see it in peoples eyes. I hear it. You can feel it across oceans or from across the street; via any medium - telephone, e mail, and especially in some of the most supportive online groups and social media.  Being alone seems to happen equally to people who aren't physically alone.

My inner self has been whirly-whacking (also not a real word) around for the past few weeks in some kind of a personal hurricane. I've been angry, happy, depressed, hopeful, sad, and defensive BUT never lonely. All of my people are still here, even the ones I might have yelled at or said harsh things to in my focused haste to keep my head from rotating right off of my body. The storm might still be raging, it probably is, but I'm coming to my senses. I've seen a lot of sadness. I've heard and read a lot about loneliness.  Other people's loneliness has grabbed me by the throat and throttled me into clarity. What's the huge and final revelation? Being the antonym of lonely saves me from myself. Living life, day to day, when life is on auto-pilot,  who has the time to feel lonely? When crisis hits, whether internal or physical, THAT'S when it can grab you and hold you down. I realize how it's possible to lose sight of the light at the end or the list of goals that were set and then fall off the path... and how important it is to hold onto all the people around you; sometimes physically. Listening. Taking moments. Not fighting anything - not even cancer. Slowing down and just being. Just living. Just existing. Unalone. Unlonely. Loved.