Right? Pottery glazes are so beautiful and chemically interesting, and I could hide them in various places in my apartment so I can jumpscare myself when I open cabinets.

I swear I've seen something like this before but can't find an example: teeny animal sculptures of different porcelain* types.

celadon frogs, bone china cats, cobalt birds, bisque weasels, fritware lizards, jian ware rabbits, that sort of thing.

*in the broader sense of vitrified high-fired wares

I'm mid 40s, so not young, but over my 18-34 years a vanishingly small percentage of my social circle lived alone. Nearly all men, though I couldn't say why.

I know more people who have lived long-term in a vehicle than have actually chosen to live alone in an apartment or house.

Not for nothing, this is the exact same behavior that surrounded covid restrictions. Selfishness is baked right into their oily hearts.

what do you ghouls even think you are DOING?

how many more people need to die for this to become real to you?

It doesn't need to be inspiring or create a new friendship or provide you social capital or get you little treats, though it can do all of those things.

Even a mid conversation gives you a peek into the mind of another person; a fleeting moment of connection that adds some texture to your day.

People have emphasized that those conversations can be fun, and sometimes they can be! But not all conversations need to be intense or engaging to be worth having. Sometimes they're just a bumper between different parts of your day.

But those moments of passing time keep you in the world.

I, too, have tolerated some mildly impertinent questions about my life. I have examined pictures of objectively weird-looking babies & talked about unseasonal rain. But those conversations made bus rides, carpools, and lines go by faster, and it improved my mood a little to make someone else smile.