Needing Solitude

I remember as a kid that I enjoyed getting up early on Saturday mornings to read or draw before the family woke up. It was a magical quiet time to enjoy being with my own thoughts and imagination before the day really began.

Our society often seems to view being solitary as a negative thing. As children, we’re encouraged to join in with the group and get along with others. If we are a loner, we are seen as a misfit who needs help.

After the busyness of Christmas with its focus on socializing with other people, I long for some solitary time. It’s not that I don’t enjoy people, but as an introvert, I find being with groups of people very tiring.

I enjoy my solitude and crave downtime to recharge, reflect and tap into my creativity. I am a morning person and still enjoy that magical alone time when everyone else is asleep. It is so rejuvenating and soul nurturing.

As Thoreau’s quote states, it can sometimes be even lonelier being with people than being alone. These days in our increasingly impersonal disconnected world, it’s easy to feel “lost in the crowd” which can be a lonelier feeling than being alone.

Solitude is the time I reconnect with myself and I need it to feel healthy and whole. It’s when I write and am most creative. Without it, I feel cranky, stressed and as if I’m only enduring and not really living.

Seeking Solitude
by Cathy Graham

Comfortable in my solitude, I slip into the zone

I seek out “me” time and love to be alone,

A quiet time to reflect and ponder

Time to create and time to wonder,

I am rarely lonely and feel lonelier in a crowd

Crowd noise overwhelms me, it’s way too loud!

When I don’t get my solitude, I’m like an old crone

I make it a priority to spend time alone.