I didn’t expect the loneliness. When the world shut down, people took sides, cultural wars raged in our homes, and bombs fell halfway across the globe, I wasn’t prepared for the deep sense of isolation that followed. I’ve never needed a great deal of social interaction, but loneliness still found me, catching me off guard with its intensity. What was I longing for? It wasn’t so much companionship as it was comfort. In this prolonged season of upheaval, relief can feel out of reach. Just when we think things might improve, they seem to worsen—more losses, more insecurity, more uncertainty.…