Lessons on Solitude
In solitude, I discover what I never knew existed: hidden strength, fears, shadows, hopes and pure unfiltered consciousness.
I fully integrated “solitude walks” into my life over three years ago. Everything was getting overwhelming, so I injected more being in my life. I walk wherever my consciousness will find mental clarity, mostly in quiet green spaces. The Germans have a word for it: Flanieren. And from the French flâner. It’s doing wonders for my mental health. I make time to step outside the noise. I leave behind the “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts,” the judgments and opinions. Solitude is creatingsacred pockets of time where you can simply be — no screens, no agendas, just you and the quiet.
In that space, you find yourself again.
The 13th-century poet Rumi said, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass the world is too full to talk about.” There’s a space beyond the usual structure of life, a quiet space waiting. I go there to take a moment. To reconnect with myself. I let my thoughts slow, and worries drift away. In silence I can finally hear my own stillness. Returning inward is a time for renewal so that when I step back into the world, I don’t have to try and fill the void but carry the…
