Alone in the Universe?

A question on My Turn/Your Turn a couple of weeks ago that I've decided to briefly answer is “Are there times when you feel 'alone in the universe?'”

I feel alone in the universe the vast majority of the time. Being a full time student and working full time as well, I don't have much time for the social activities that my peers seem to be involved in. Not that I'd really want to be involved anyway. Really, I'm around people constantly because of my obligations. When I'm not obligated to be somewhere (class or work) I'd much rather just be relaxing at home. So, as a result, my only real friends are people I've never met, living hundreds or thousands of miles away. As far as family goes, I've been physically distanced from my parents for several years and emotionally distanced for much longer than that. Most kids go through a phase in their teen years when they distance themselves from their parents. I tried to do that but at the same time wound up taking over their roles as parents. Long story short, it's still affecting my relationships with them now and probably always will. So, I feel alone in the universe most of the time, like I'm on the outside looking in.