Solitude

Loneliness is marked by a sense of isolation. Solitude, on the other hand, is a state of being alone without being lonely and can lead to self-awareness. I am one of those people that solo time is essential. It helps me to think clearly, breathe calmly, and even give me a sense of contentment. Solitude is a time that I use for reflection, inner searching and/or growth of some kind. Deep reading requires solitude, so does experiencing the beauty of nature. As I walked around the farm tonight I was intrigued by the way the moon looked through the trees. It gave me that lonesome feeling - which of course gets me to thinking. As the world spins faster and faster - or maybe it just seems that way when an email can travel around the world in fractions of a second - we need a variety of ways to cope with the resulting pressures. We need to maintain some semblance of balance and some sense that we are in control. We all need periods of solitude, although temperamentally we probably differ in the amount of solitude we need. Some solitude is essential; it gives us time to explore and know ourselves. It gives us a chance to regain perspective. Solitude can renew us for the challenges of life; rather than having them run by schedules and demands from others. It helps to restore the body and the mind.

Blessings