I have written here in recent months about my seemingly never-ending need for alone time. I have always been a person who needs time to think, be still, be quiet, be alone. I very, very rarely feel lonely, although people assume I might. Maybe because my mind is always churning away, there's never a dull moment.
Being raised as an only child because my brothers were so much older, I learned early how to be alone and enjoy it. I was raised largely around adults in my early formative years, having little interaction with other children. I learned to amuse myself and, frankly, this is a wonderful skill.
Ironically, I'm very much a people person. I enjoy seeing people, having conversation and making connection. It's just that I still need alone time to process, think, write, whatever. Although most people would naturally consider me an extrovert, I'm about half and half on the Myers-Brigg scale (6/4 - E/I).
Today I ran across this quote that so beautifully sums it up. I should memorize this, but I suppose there's no need - that's one reason I have the blog - it's my online memory bank/memory sorting place that I let the world look in on.
"Solitude does not mean living apart from others;
it means never living apart from one's self."
-Parker Palmer
I think this is it, really. If I don't have some alone time I'm not myself. Maybe at times when I'm trying to reconfigure myself, as I have been the last couple of years, alone time is even more important.
Something else for me to think about during my alone time...
-----
Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest
No comments:
Post a Comment