Today I would like to share my thoughts about solitude… I have been contemplating about this for a while but I thought this idea might be beneficial to you as we are going through delightful but a bit stressful holiday season.
So, it was late Autumn and raining. In the middle of the day, the sky already looked dark as dusk. The Autumn rain felt frigid and unsympathetic. It was irresistibly impacting my emotions. I felt alone, unexcited and sinking.
I observed as the water cleansed and moisturized the air, trees, my skin, and soaked into the soil and deep into the earth, only to realize that this rain has been craved by all creatures and all that exists.
The Autumn rain felt frigid and unsympathetic. But I noticed a different kind of sentiment quietly arising inside of me. It was a sense of relief and genuine appreciation for nature’s grace. And then, there were peace and calmness, increased consciousness, and an unanticipated pleasure of having solitude.
Solitude is the state of being alone without being lonely or sad. In today’s world where people are running on overdrive and where constant communication and higher productivity are embraced, a moment of solitude is bliss.
Alice Koller said, quote “Being solitary is being alone well: being alone luxuriously immersed in doings of your own choice, aware of the fullness of your own presence rather than of the absence of others.” unquote.
Solitude is a necessary counterpoint to the joy of intimacy and connection with others. It gives us an opportunity to focus solely on ourselves to restore our body and mind and improve mental wellbeing.
Solitude gives us time for reflection and the opportunity to evaluate our lives and life experience. Reflecting on our present situation and what led us to where we are today will help us regain perspective and reevaluate our plans for the future.
Solitude allows us to optimize our focus and creativities. It allows us to be free, and our imagination to wander, open to inspirations.
Solitude is perfect state for practicing meditation and staying in the present moment through which we can explore further into our minds and consciousness. Examining our own thoughts, emotions, and feeling the physical sensations during meditation help us be aware of who we are in our most authentic self.
It is an empowering experience to find peace within us and appreciate everything that surrounds us.
As this year is quickly approaching toward the end, let’s pause for a moment and find ourselves in quietness and in peace. Reflect on ourselves, how this year has been, in all of the excitements and disappointments, work and relationships that we’ve gone through.
Because only by doing so, we may be able to understand our experiences in the most profound and meaningful way and truly appreciate who we are and where we are.
The rain in holiday season can feel frigid and unsympathetic, but if you savor it carefully, it is like poetry, calm but eloquent, graceful and peaceful. It is a gift. Even the messiness and madness of our lives and pasts can look illusively beautiful and authentic behind the curtains of season’s rain.
I wish you all well, in heath and spirit throughout the holiday season and the new year.