Savoring Our Solitude

 

 

I love the word “Solitude”.

I love the act of Solitude even more.

Though it’s been defined in a number of ways, people often confuse the meaning.  I personally like the definition that says how Solitude is “The Act or Situation of Being Alone”.

There are some who mistake being alone with loneliness, Solitude with seclusion…but I believe the two could not be farther apart.  

What I am referring to is the kind of alone time that balances and replenishes your spirit, recharges your internal battery and ultimately reconnects you to yourself.

I view Solitude more as a state of mind…a zone we allow ourselves to get into, while taking a little piece of time and savoring it as our own.

Carving out time to ourselves doesn’t need to mean getting away for any great length (which can be absolutely wonderful, just not always feasible). Solitude can be as sweet and simple as stepping out from the lively crowd you’re with, to go appreciate a few moments alone with the sunset.

I’ve discovered its in these private points of time, we honestly connect to our essence. It’s here we get to listen to what quietly speaks to us from the inside.

Savoring moments like these is a way of feeding that private part of us that doesn’t belong or get given out to anyone else. Sometimes amidst the chaos of everyday life, we overlook certain sides of ourselves that may be feeling a little hungry.

In our full, varied and somewhat responsibility driven lives…time isn’t always ours to do with what we want.  Thanks to technology, we have the capacity of having virtually everything accessible on our devices. This is both a blessing and a curse (as we keep them attached to us like an extended limb).

It almost feels as though there’s no such thing anymore as “down time”. This has been replaced with a competitive sense of obligation and immediacy in terms of staying connected and constantly in touch with the online and outside world.

Now don’t get me wrong…I love our technologically advanced world as much as anyone, (and I am an avid Instagramer). But I have to admit, it feels great to shut it all off once in awhile.

Solitude helps us stay tuned in and better in touch with ourselves. It takes all those pieces of that fast, noisy pace we go at, and quietens everything down to a stillness.

We need to regularly remind ourselves how there’s much more to our life than all the pings, the likes, the swipes and the constant juggling act we do.

It’s also not a bad idea to trust ourselves more often, to listen to our own voice and follow our own instincts.  When was the last time you let go of any outside input or opinion?

I’ve managed to carve out my own version of daily Solitude. This comes to me at 4:15 AM every morning during my work week (being Monday to Friday). I had to change a few habits in order to arrange this, as it means I get up over an hour earlier than I used to (which initially was a struggle). It’s turned out to be one of the best things I ever did for myself.

I wake up, stretch, light a candle, brew a steamy cup of my coveted Nespresso, then curl up to do a bit of reading, writing and meditating.  This is uninterrupted time that belongs only to me. I call it “the quiet hour”. It’s my tranquil, sacred time that no one else has any access to (that’s the important part).

It’s amazing how freely your thoughts flow when there’s no distractions, interruptions, noise. The only sound I hear in the quiet hour, are my own thoughts (and my cats gently purring beside me). It’s a soft serenade and the perfect accompaniment to this early morning ritual.

I can honestly say it’s become one of the best parts of my day.  The quiet hour gives me a sense of balance and prepares me for everything else that’s about to enter my energy field in the long hours ahead. Though it may only be an hour…its MY hour and my own way to start the day off feeling grounded.

I hope you find or create your own time to savor a little Solitude, be it a quiet hour or simply a few solitary moments.

You may find like I did, that by tuning out…your actually tuning in, and before long you start to become much better acquainted with who it is you really are.

For today friends…this is The World as Eye See It