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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2018 2:23:03 GMT
i spent some time by myself today and as usual felt very peaceful and content, in my solitude. Some weekends, when the kids go visit their dad, i have a couple days without much interaction at all. I always look forward to that stillness and turning inward. Today, i had just a few hours so went off trail to just meander through the woods. when i am walking a path, i might slip into thinking about this or that and not really pay attention to where i am. i try to think as little as possible when i am off alone. i just want to be, and be still and open. if i meander where i haven't stepped before, i pay attention- to my footsteps the ground, the vegetation i have to wade through, the way the sun lights up the flowers from behind- i notice it all. So, it's relaxing and really pleasant. i have a distinct feeling of stepping into my inner sanctum when i step into solitude. I can feel who i am, who i've always been, its kind of like coming home. i have a feeling that it's a place i can return to any time, all my life, to a happiness that isn't conditioned by the presence of another person, or any material thing. I like to step into my inner sanctum in the woods, but i can do it anywhere, it doesn't matter. as long as there is no one around, i have the key. I do love to be present with my kids, my grandkids, my favorite man of all time,my friends, the people i engage in my professional life- i even like to be with strangers, just being human together. But there is no place like home, in my solitude. That's where i came from, before any one i love came into my life, and that's where i return to. It feels very safe, content, and like a refuge to me. i often catch myself smiling. There's kind of a feeling of eternity, timelessness, transcendence. it's the part of me that never changes, is always familiar, always me. the real me. no walls, no fronts, no hiding, no running. just me, free and well. Anyway, i just feel the same sense of gratitude every time i step into that place in myself and today i wanted to share about it. ocarina, goldilocks , can i hear from you about your solitude? |
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Post by goldilocks on Aug 20, 2018 3:49:18 GMT
Sure!
I live alone, so I quite often have solitude, but find it especially rewarding when I keep an unscheduled day on the weekend.
It can be at home, being in my own energy, and taking cook care of myself in simple ways; Getting some extra sleep, making good slow food like a soup, enjoying a good read or crafting, some relaxing music. Then I feel like I am in my sanctuary, rejuvenating my spirit.
I particularly like to express my feelings in dance while on my own.
I can visit nature in my area, there are parks-small forest and I live close to the beach. I feel nourished by the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves, or the rolling waves.
A calm cafe can also be a place for me to find solitude, being among people, but at a distance, observing and reflecting. Or reading a book and forgetting about the rest of the world.
Even exploring new cities and countries on my own brings me solitude, not in the calm way, but in an exciting manner, exploring new facets of myself as I engage with the outside world from a position of being truly Alone.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2018 4:09:22 GMT
Sure! I live alone, so I quite often have solitude, but find it especially rewarding when I keep an unscheduled day on the weekend. It can be at home, being in my own energy, and taking cook care of myself in simple ways; Getting some extra sleep, making good slow food like a soup, enjoying a good read or crafting, some relaxing music. Then I feel like I am in my sanctuary, rejuvenating my spirit. I particularly like to express my feelings in dance while on my own. I can visit nature in my area, there are parks-small forest and I live close to the beach. I feel nourished by the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves, or the rolling waves. A calm cafe can also be a place for me to find solitude, being among people, but at a distance, observing and reflecting. Or reading a book and forgetting about the rest of the world. Even exploring new cities and countries on my own brings me solitude, not in the calm way, but in an exciting manner, exploring new facets of myself as I engage with the outside world from a position of being truly Alone. i thought of you on your travels, and imagined you must also feel that same way, the way i do in the woods. it isn't an isolated feeling, it's a feeling of completeness, very full and satisfying. i can find this aloneness anywhere, too. it keeps me whole. |
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Post by ocarina on Aug 20, 2018 21:37:54 GMT
Oh me too to all of this! It's a kind of freedom from demands - even being with people I love creates demands and a kind of wanting from me. Total aloneness mitigates this and leaves me feeling healed.
I have to factor into life some of these nothingness days - with nothing in the diary, no expectations, just gentle being - usually some exercise and outdoor time, often the sea. Other people generally don't get this about me and try to fill my diary with meetings for coffee, dinners, social stuff. But the solitude is as necessary for me as the air that I breathe. Not in huge amounts but in regular small ones.
I love people and being social but have a strong need to retreat after social contact. It's not a deactivation, but it's a kind of internal regrouping. Similar in function to meditation I believe, a kind of cleaning of my hard drive.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2018 21:47:38 GMT
Oh me too to all of this! It's a kind of freedom from demands - even being with people I love creates demands and a kind of wanting from me. Total aloneness mitigates this and leaves me feeling healed. I have to factor into life some of these nothingness days - with nothing in the diary, no expectations, just gentle being - usually some exercise and outdoor time, often the sea. Other people generally don't get this about me and try to fill my diary with meetings for coffee, dinners, social stuff. But the solitude is as necessary for me as the air that I breathe. Not in huge amounts but in regular small ones. I love people and being social but have a strong need to retreat after social contact. It's not a deactivation, but it's a kind of internal regrouping. Similar in function to meditation I believe, a kind of cleaning of my hard drive. i take care of a lot of people in my life and don't resent it- it is a blessing to be able to do so. like you, though, i need the time of no demands and i interaction in order to return to the place in me that is ok no matter what, no matter who, no matter how. the solid place in me that is unchanging and familiar to me. from that foundation, i can do all else. without this connection to the deepest me , the singular, unchanging and familiar me, i can't. |
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Post by ocarina on Aug 20, 2018 21:50:11 GMT
Oh me too to all of this! It's a kind of freedom from demands - even being with people I love creates demands and a kind of wanting from me. Total aloneness mitigates this and leaves me feeling healed. I have to factor into life some of these nothingness days - with nothing in the diary, no expectations, just gentle being - usually some exercise and outdoor time, often the sea. Other people generally don't get this about me and try to fill my diary with meetings for coffee, dinners, social stuff. But the solitude is as necessary for me as the air that I breathe. Not in huge amounts but in regular small ones. I love people and being social but have a strong need to retreat after social contact. It's not a deactivation, but it's a kind of internal regrouping. Similar in function to meditation I believe, a kind of cleaning of my hard drive. i take care of a lot of people in my life and don't resent it- it is a blessing to be able to do so. like you, though, i need the time of no demands and i interaction in order to return to the place in me that is ok no matter what, no matter who, no matter how. the solid place in me that is unchanging and familiar to me. from that foundation, i can do all else. without this connection to the deepest me , the singular, unchanging and familiar me, i can't. Yes - I completely understand. I am incredibly resilient and supportive also - but my internal support structure requires the quite no pressure regroup in order to be functional. |
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Post by leavethelighton on Aug 21, 2018 23:34:47 GMT
Juniper, have you read Thoreau's essay, "Walking"? Your post reminded me of lines from it:
"When I would recreate myself, I seek the darkest wood, the thickest and most interminable, and, to the citizen, most dismal swamp. I enter a swamp as a sacred place,—a sanctum sanctorum. There is the strength, the marrow, of Nature."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2018 23:36:05 GMT
Juniper, have you read Thoreau's essay, "Walking"? Your post reminded me of lines from it: "When I would recreate myself, I seek the darkest wood, the thickest and most interminable, and, to the citizen, most dismal swamp. I enter a swamp as a sacred place,—a sanctum sanctorum. There is the strength, the marrow, of Nature." wow, i love this! |
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Post by leavethelighton on Aug 21, 2018 23:36:36 GMT
I live in a foresty ecosystem too and whenever I'm feeling really flummoxed I like to take a day off work, go hiking in the woods, and seek my answers. It always works, too.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2018 1:28:16 GMT
I live in a foresty ecosystem too and whenever I'm feeling really flummoxed I like to take a day off work, go hiking in the woods, and seek my answers. It always works, too. i go almost every day, you're right, it never fails me. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2018 15:05:35 GMT
I've taken the afternoon off in order to retreat and renew myself.
I'm very thankful for the success of my professional practice, but have had a busier schedule than i prefer lately - and it's a delicate balance between gratitude for success and burnout from doing too much.
So, today i'm lying in the sun to meditate and listen to wind in the trees, walking in the woods, counting blessings.
I hope you all are finding your peace today! ❤️
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2018 21:00:21 GMT
Sure! I live alone, so I quite often have solitude, but find it especially rewarding when I keep an unscheduled day on the weekend. It can be at home, being in my own energy, and taking cook care of myself in simple ways; Getting some extra sleep, making good slow food like a soup, enjoying a good read or crafting, some relaxing music. Then I feel like I am in my sanctuary, rejuvenating my spirit. I particularly like to express my feelings in dance while on my own. I can visit nature in my area, there are parks-small forest and I live close to the beach. I feel nourished by the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves, or the rolling waves. A calm cafe can also be a place for me to find solitude, being among people, but at a distance, observing and reflecting. Or reading a book and forgetting about the rest of the world. Even exploring new cities and countries on my own brings me solitude, not in the calm way, but in an exciting manner, exploring new facets of myself as I engage with the outside world from a position of being truly Alone. headed out for the afternoon and evening for a meal in a French-inspired cafe and bakery, followed by an independent film at our local mom and pop indy movie theater, for some goldi-style engaged solitude. its been a while since i've indulged myself this way; thanks for the inspiration Goldilocks! ❤️ |
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