Jeff,

What she says is a start.  But she has to back up her words with actions.  Even if the together time is good, the time apart should still be about maintaining and growing your connection with each other.  If she has teenagers, they usually don’t want to spend much time with their parents.  It won’t hurt them for you to go on an actual date and leave them at home.  Maybe start with 1 hour and gradually increase the time so that you could go to dinner, see a movie, etc.  It sounds like you have the potential to spend 8-10 days/month together.  She has to be willing to put in the effort in order for this to work.

I understand your feelings of loneliness.  You can even be in relationship with someone and s/he can be physically present but not emotionally present.  That leads to the same feelings of loneliness.  What are you afraid of?  How can you help yourself feel connected to God/Source/the Universe, whatever you want to call it?  Ultimately, that’s the only thing that really fills us up.  Many people use bad substitutes for that like drinking, drugging, shopping, gambling, etc.  How is your Spiritual life?  I assume that since you’re on this website that Spirituality is relevant in your life.  Maybe you can think about that when you run.  Do you feel connected when you’re in nature?  When else do you feel connected?  Maybe that’s the illusion of loneliness.  Because we feel lonely, then we think we’re disconnected from everything and everyone.  Most spiritual beliefs teach that We are all connected to each other.  We are all One.  How can you realize your own connection so that you feel less alone?  Running.  Meditation.  Reaching out to others.  Being good company for yourself.  You have to figure out what will help you feel less lonely, even when you’re alone.  You can use your alone time to figure out what you really want and to get clear on your desires.

You’re welcome.  And thank you.  I appreciate this connection too.

Take Care!

Dawn