Library Loneliness

Library loneliness is solitude you chose, in a room full of strangers all chosen by the same quiet. You are not alone. You are alone together. This is the kind of loneliness that asks for nothing. It is the loneliness of cafes at 4pm, of train carriages, of long Sunday afternoons. It is a way of being among people without needing them, and it is one of the most peaceful feelings a city offers. Naming it lets you stop apologizing for choosing it.