We can be alone without feeling lonely or sad. We can be alone and useful and content. I am not implying that happiness lies in the complete independence that comes with being alone – after all, we are intrinsically social. Only that aloneness can be pleasant while it lasts, helping to prepare us for interdependence when it comes. Meeting a partner, starting a family, or simply finding the right community to belong to is a process that takes time. Or we may not consciously desire any of that. Either way, we can enjoy our aloneness.