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Do you ever feel lonely, like deep in your bones lonely? Or maybe it's the quieter kind,

the kind that creeps in when you're folding the laundry or up late or scrolling endlessly

on your phone, wondering if anyone actually sees you.

We experience loneliness for so many reasons. The isolation of chronic pain or illness, the demands of

caregiving, the sting of unanswered love, retirement, and sometimes the isolation

that brings, or maybe the ways that relationships change and we may not even recognize it at the

moment. If that's you, and let's be honest, it's probably all of us at one time or another,

you are in the right place. This is Everything Happens, and I'm

Kate Bowler. Today's conversation is about the ache of loneliness and what it might look like

to take small steps toward connection, not because that will magically fix it all, or even because

we always want to be hyper-connected to people, but just because

we're not meant to do this life alone. My guest today is Dr. Vivek-Morty, who served as the U.S.

Surgeon General, not once, but twice, most recently stepping down as the nation's doctor just a few

weeks ago. I was lucky enough to join him at the

ceremony celebrating the end of his time in the role as he said goodbye to his team, his uniform,

and the good work they've done together. It was very confusing. They let me be in charge of the ceremony.

...