Solitude

A recent tag by @Lucas B about my Substack story in ten words got me thinking. Why am I on the platform? More than anything else, it gives me an opportunity to turn inward.

Who am I? How did I get to this point? Where do I go from here?

All these deep questions begin to surface as I try to figure out the conundrum who is me. You may wonder, why now? My answer would be life is offering me this opportunity at present since I am off the hamster wheel and things have slowed down. On the one hand this freedom to explore myself is quite liberating since I can allow myself the opportunity to go deeper. On the other hand, this journey inward fuels my curiosity to find answers; for the first time ever, the subject is myself.

If I am able to get some answers through introspection, that will lead me to make better sense of the other parts of my life that are often a source of discord and heartbreak. Broken relationships, misunderstanding, rejection, lack of appreciation …the list is endless if you let it be. What if you can switch from all these external factors to something entirely different? What if you choose to focus your attention on something totally internal?

I feel the urge to understand myself in order to make sense of life. Solitude is a blessing and I intend to make full use of it as I continue this journey of introspection and self reflection. If you are curious and willing to explore yourself, embark on that journey. Don’t delay. You’ll find it to be engaging, fascinating and magical. Who knew you yourself was such a treasure trove of emotions, values and principles that you never prioritized before? Enjoy moments of solitude and look deeper.

So many of our life’s problems stem from focusing too much on external validation that is always just out of reach and a fire that needs constant feeding. I am tired of going down that route. I need to be sure of the person I am and who I am becoming . Enjoying solitude doesn’t mean I’ve become a hermit. I appreciate and crave human connection that is meaningful. Commonalities with other people give me a sense of being part of a larger fabric. I am human, vulnerable, but I am also uniquely me. My only prerequisite is honesty. In order to uncover my authentic self, I have to make sure there is no room for performance, only truth. Allowing myself time to dwell in solitude makes this uncovering possible.

Substack has been such a good platform to encourage this journey. I learn something new everyday about myself. I have a small, engaged community who mean so much to me.

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I’ve been away from the Substack recently due to grief and other health challenges. I am back and I intend to continue writing and connecting with all of you. Thank you. 🩵