I often wonder what would happen if I could get myself out of the way and seclude myself like Henry David Thoreau did at Walden’s Pond? I often envy him for the time he took to be by himself in the woods. I would have no issues or problems with that, just a peaceful surrender to nature.
Would this really be my reality? I can be completely alone in my space with no apparent threats, but my ego still punishes me.
Your house is empty or maybe you found a peaceful little spot in your home or outside away from everyone that lives there for the moment. What happens next is truly remarkable. Most of the time you do not ponder on the beauty of life or treasure the present moment. And even though you have utter silence, you are the one doing the attacking on yourself with the thoughts that seem to enter into your mind.
You are on the tail end of your journey of life, slowing down, so I ask you to watch the monkey madness in your brain and see if you can switch it over to pleasant thoughts. Be aware that quiet time away can be used for self-reflection, deep contemplation and relaxation. Enjoy these times instead of thinking of the unfairness of life, stewing over what someone said earlier in the day, feeling jealous of the neighbor’s new car or brewing over something that happened over 20 years ago.
You are starting to come out into the world again, but it is hard to handle the times of being alone and stuck at home. At first, maybe it was sort of nice to sleep in and have time to play board games. I played some solitaire with actual cards over the past few months, something I have not done really since I was young before the internet. But now you are itching to have something to do, to not feel loneliness anymore and to stop feeling disconnected from others.
As Thoreau said, “What sort of space separates a human from another and makes him solitary?” I may be in the same room as another but not really understand him, as he does not get me and this makes me alone. It is when I connect with someone and our minds come together that we are near each other. I may be in a house all alone in the woods, but I am communicating my most innermost thoughts to another by social media; even though we are separated by distance he is with me and I am not lonely.
Thoreau said the value of a man is not in his skin, that we should touch him. It is through this method that we acquire new value for each other. So get on Zoom, call each other and really get to the heart of what matters most to find deep connections and you will not be alone.
