Loneliness, within and without

I had a chat today with G. about loneliness. I should say I was talking and he was mostly just nodding. He was needling me about sitting in one of the customer chairs at his coffee shop without having actually bought a coffee, and I was defending myself as a regular customer who ought to be entitled to squatter's rights or something considering how often I am there. He said I must have been lonely, which prompted me to explain my recent learning about how the solution to loneliness is within, not without. G. just nodded, patiently, as I spelled out how it took me 40 years to learn that lesson. He reminded me that I need to be patient, not to try to find someone but to let someone find me. He is right.