Solitude, typically, people respond in two distinct ways when it comes to being alone.

They love it, or they hate it. Spending time alone is not a sentence in purgatory. If embraced, solitude can illuminate our souls.

One friend expressed that when she was home with her hubby, she liked it quiet to concentrate on work. However, if she was alone, she needed the TV or music in each room. She couldn’t think straight if it was too quiet.

Another friend, when left to her own devices, burrowed in with a book and absorbed the time alone. Loving the peace solitude brought her.

And yet another friend said if the house was empty and he was working, he would go to a public place instead. He called it torture to be home alone and didn’t like the emptiness of the space.

How do you like solitude?

I like it quiet. To be alone is my solace, maybe more than the average person.

I don’t remember when I first understood what a gift solitude was. However, a childhood punishment of  ‘Go to your room’ was not a punishment. I would gladly escape into the quiet of my bedroom.

Being a loner, I  am comfortable doing things solo. When I discovered Endurance racing, riding a horse 100 miles in one day, it was a sport that fit my personality perfectly. Never could I have imagined how transformative it would be.

Often, in the middle of the night alone on the trail, darkness pierced only by moonlight, wind blowing, cold, tired, sometimes uncertain if I was lost, I could have the most profound conversations with myself. Fear flanked my side when unseen noises seemed to follow me, and self-doubt crept in. Alone, without others to influence my thoughts, I examined the deepest corners of my mind. In these moments of complete aloneness, I could see who I was.

It was there I found my inner strength. Knowing it was me alone, I traversed the roads within to find my path. Facing my fears gave me the fortitude to forge ahead. In my darkest moments, swearing I would never enter another competition, thinking my Endurance career was over, what fun was it anyway, to be out there tired, scared, and alone?

Then, glimpses of the finish line would be seen. Moving towards the beckon of light, my spirit was reinvigorated. Crossing the finish line, my thoughts would turn from never again to when is the next one? The shadows had passed.

Solitude is an exhilarating yet can be a frightful journey. It allows us to explore our parameters and redefine our limitations. Our shadows, once examined, merely become remnants of who we once were.

6 Lessons of Solitude:

  1. The harder it is to be alone, the more we must let go.
  2. Solitude allows us downtime—a time to reboot our brains, to clear ourselves of distractions and chatter.
  3. Solitude allows us to hear our inner voice. When alone with our thoughts, We can listen to who we are.
  4. Within solitude, daydreaming can occur. Our most profound creativity can be reached within the exploration of those dreams.
  5. The feelings defining alone time and loneliness vary. With practice, solitude allows us to discover inner peace, leaving loneliness behind.
  6. Solitude offers a place to face our inner fears and replace them with calm confidence where the fear once resided.

 

I sometimes long for those nights of solitude on the trail. Occasionally, I ride out alone into the night to hear the sounds of what is lurking inside my soul. Enjoy the journey within.

Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone

and

solitude expresses the glory of being alone.
~Paul Tillich