I know how much it means to be thought about during a celebration. If you know your friend is out to dinner for their anniversary, birthday, job promotion, whatever, call the restaurant and send a bottle of wine or dessert to their table. It’s thrilling to anticipate how surprised and delighted they’ll be.

For most people, loneliness doesn't stem from a lack of friends. It comes from not feeling connected to the friends you already have, while "peering in" on their lives via social media. (You can read more about this in the ancient text Big Friendship.) This problem is not fixable if you expect community to just happen naturally . It is fixable if y... See more