Carrasco: Solitude and Me

"We've been together for such a long time now

Solitude and me

Don't care whether all our songs rhyme

Now solitude and me"

I've been humming this song every time I'm alone. The original song title is Music and Me which was sung by Michael Jackson in 1973. I don't know but it kind of soothes me to replace the word 'music' with "solitude" every time I am alone.

You might find me funny, wacky or a little bit crazy but I would like to share the perks of finding joy and comfort in the company of one's self. Don't get me wrong but I really mean loving your own company.

"Human beings are social by nature and unfit to endure extreme cases of isolation. Further, psychologists found out that if we are alone our mental faculties can degrade leading to states of insanity and deep despair." Of course, I am well aware of these facts which are discussed in varied online and offline sources.

Still, I am very much into spending a real, nice quality time with one's self. I love the idea...and I am into it...I keep doing it and will continue to do it. Allow me to advocate the benefits of spending time with one's self.

Me...Myself..and I. Just a couple of minutes a day or an hour or two weekly. There is nothing more sublime to it. You just choose the time of day you want to spend it. Let me stress that solitude is simply fortitude. Yes, fortitude which is all about mental and emotional strength.

I find comfort in the company of myself. The comfort of love and harmony as I look back on the accounts of the day or a week. The comfort of healing as I recall words spoken and unspoken to a friend or a stranger. The comfort of peace knowing I have made wise decisions as I review my choices and moves. The comfort of happiness as I remember the priceless moments shared with loved ones. The comfort of wisdom as I seek the truth and look for solutions. The comfort of eternity as I recollect the blessings He has bestowed on me.

As articulated by poet May Sarton "Solitude is the richness of self." I truly agree with her as I share my thoughts on my experience with a close encounter of myself. My ME time brought me to the following realizations:

1. It is in being alone that I find answers.

2. It is in being alone that I understand and forgive myself.

3. It is in being alone that I appreciate others.

4. It is in being alone where I discover my inner-strength.

5. It is in being alone where creative thoughts zoom fast.

6. It is in being alone where I build positive thoughts and discard all negativities.

Don't get me wrong. I am not a loner nor a depressed person. Loneliness is far different from being solitary. Loneliness empties me while solitude fills my heart and soul. In a world where everything and anything can be uncertain, complex and quite ambiguous, having space for one's self always pays.

I can best summarize the bliss of maximizing the company of one's self in Thomas Merton's Thoughts on Solitude. It is such a timeless and timely book which addresses the pleasures of solitary life. This one is my favorite:

"Our destiny is to live out what we think, because unless we live what we know, we do not even know it. It is only by making our knowledge part of ourselves, through action, that we enter into the reality that is signified by our concepts."

I am enticing you to give it a try. Have some space for solitude. Even the famous inventor Thomas Edison once said that "The best thinking has been done in solitude."

Join me now as I hum the lyrics once again to the tune of Music and Me.

"We've been together for such a long time now

Solitude and me

Don't care whether all our songs rhyme

Now solitude and me"

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