Solitude
Recently I attended two funerals in two days. Family, friends and people who had been touched in some way by these two unique and special beings had come together in celebration and remembrance and I felt an overwhelming sense of togetherness and connection as a result. This felt strangely uplifting during such a challenging time. By the end of these two days, however, I simply needed time out. Time to myself. Time to be alone. To be quiet. Just to be.
We all need it every now and then. To take ourselves away from everyone and everything. To a place of peace and quiet. To connect with our higher Self. To reflect. Or recuperate. Rejoice or rejuvenate. For whatever reason the soul might be calling. And we can hear our soul calling to us by way of our feelings in each moment. Tiredness and lethargy are signs that we need to retreat. To stop and nourish ourselves so that we can restore our energy levels back to their optimum. To rediscover the joy in our beings so that we can be present in life. We cannot do this if we are constantly rushing around doing, doing, doing. We must create these quiet moments for ourselves.
Some people may shudder at this idea of being on their own. Even if it is just for a brief moment. Instead they surround themselves with people and pleasures that keep them occupied and entertained. Busyness becomes a lifestyle and they rely on adrenalin or other external energy sources to keep them going. Others will seek solitude to the point of isolation. They disconnect from everything and everyone and turn inwards, cutting themselves off from the world and important relationships that teach us so much about ourselves and remind us we are human. Neither way is right or wrong. But to live a full life is to find a balance between all that life has to offer. Drawing back into moments of solitude will help to generate the energy required to venture back out again and engage in the richness of life.
Finding this balance can sometimes prove to be difficult. It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily routines we have created for ourselves. We have demands, responsibilities, commitments and roles we have chosen to play. Much of our time is spent in relationship with others whether it is with our partner, a family member, a friend, a child, a work colleague or even the person behind the shop counter. Our time is often consumed being caught up in these relationships. All too often we forget the most important relationship of all – the relationship we have with our true Self. That greater power that resides in you.
To know your true Self is to become friends with solitude and know the joy derived from spending time on your own. You begin to seek these experiences out each day regardless of whatever else is going on in your life. You somehow find the time to meditate or take a yoga class, go for an early morning walk, sit quietly by the waters edge, listen to a beautiful piece of music, wander through an art gallery, reflect in your journal or read a book because you know how good you feel after.
By nourishing your soul in this way you generate source energy from within. You are then open to give more of yourself to the life-enriching experiences and relationships that are important to you. You create more of the life you want to be living and you live more as the person you hope others will eventually remember you as.