Solitude

Solitude sharpens awareness of small pleasures otherwise lost.
Kevin Patterson

Some of us actually fear solitude. We don't want to be alone with ourselves. We want to be surrounded by loving family and friends all the time. We don't know what to do with ourselves when there is not someone else there to entertain us. We need other people there to define us for ourselves. We don't know who we are and we are not sure we want to. We confuse solitude with loneliness.

But solitude is not the same as loneliness. There are times when we actually need solitude. We need time to get to know ourselves and how we really feel about what is going on around us. Our nervous system needs a rest every now and then from a constant bombardment of new stimuli. We need time to think quietly about what it is that we want to acheive in the future, and how we can get started on that. But most of all, we need time to "stop and smell the roses".

It is only when I am quiet and by myself that I am able to identify the more subtle physical feelings of how I am relating to my environment right now. Often being by ourselves engenders a desire to be quiet and still, and this is the only time we can really be aware of the small details of our environment. It's as though when we are with another person, they automatically take up most or all of our attention. Only when we are by ourselves can we really appreciate our environment, from the delicateness of a flower, to the majesty of a soaring eagle. Take time for solitude today.