SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15

THERE IS A LONE BLUE heron that visits the lake on the trail I walk. It comes and goes throughout the year. It’s the only one of its kind among the Maybe it just hangs out at the lake every now and then for nourishment. We seem to be alike, the heron and I—socially awkward. In a crowd of familiar or unfamiliar faces, I sometimes feel as if I don’t belong or I feel lonely. If you invite me to your party, I will come, but I already have my escape mapped out. Sometimes I just don’t know what to say or what to do . . . you know . . . it’s awkward. Maybe I am socially challenged because of my perceptions of myself.