Yesterday the weather was sunny and 70s so I decide to hit the park for the afternoon. I grabbed my guitar, a picnic dinner, and a book to enjoy the sun and the peace and quiet. I settled in on a bench off in the corner of the park away from most of the action.

A short while later this older blonde lady with too much makeup startled me from behind asking, "Have you seen Norman around?" Her eyes darted amongst the trees so I quickly gathered she was looking for a squirrel whom she had affectionately named. I assumed once she didn't see him she would move along to another bench. But no, she started making small talk about her squirrel friends, pulled out a jar of peanuts and began sprinkling them around on the ground and on the bench.

Now I'm thinking, 'Lady, are you serious? The last thing I want is a bunch of squirrels crawling around while I'm trying to enjoy the peace and quiet! As soon as she leaves I'm chucking those nuts in the woods.'

Then she sat down on the other end of the bench and made herself comfortable waiting for her squirrels to show up.

'You've gotta be kidding me. Do some people really not realize how socially awkward they're being?'

She asked me, "So, how'd you happen to pick this bench?"

"Cause it's away from people," I replied.

"Oh me too."

'Can't even take a hint?'

"For weeks I used to see a guy sitting over here all by himself. Finally I came over and asked him if he was depressed." He was the one who introduced her to the squirrels. 'Great, two people that talk to squirrels.'

"Are you depressed?"

"No."

She proceeded to tell me her story of how she was waiting for her daughter to go walking and how she had been widowed twice but her current husband thinks the world of her. 'I would hope so.' I got the rundown of the kids but unfortunately ('Fortunately.') she left her wallet in the car so she didn't have the pictures. She asked me questions here and there and by this time I'd resigned myself to the fact that she was staying put so I politely played along. Not long ago a guy had broken her heart (coincidentally his name was Mike too) but he said upfront he wasn't marriage material so she should've known better.

"If he broke your heart, why do you keep thinking about him?"

"That's a very good question," she replied.

Eventually her daughter came and they went for their walk, but I couldn't help thinking, 'Some people really have no idea, do they.'

Yet in the course of our conversation I came to realize that she didn't join me because she thought I was lonely. It was her. Maybe she just needed somebody to listen, somebody who hadn't written her off yet. Maybe sometimes the heartbreak gets to be so much you just gotta let somebody know, even if it's a complete stranger. Sure, I know some people are just crazy and some really are socially awkward, but maybe it would make a difference if we were all a little more socially awkward. Maybe not a difference to the world, but maybe a world of difference to that one lonely person.

A few times she said she felt sorry for me having to sit there and listen to her life story, so I think she did realize. I just don't think she cared. I think maybe she was just lonely.