Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Solitude

It is late in the day as I attempt to write these thoughts. It has been a busy day. I like when my day is full but not overwhelming. The most difficult days at work are when I have the least to do. Those days seem to last forever. At this moment my mind seems blank and I am at a loss for words. Maybe it is because most of my day has been spent meeting individually with members of my staff. All the conversations were pleasant but now I am talked out. On days like this I get tired of the sound of my own voice. Of course, one on one encounters with other human beings are what I do best. I have done public speaking and I am comfortable talking in front of groups but I prefer the intimacy of just being with one person or perhaps a small group. Normally after I have interacted with people all day, and that is most days, I run for solitude as fast as I can. I like solitude. It is the positive side of being alone. The negative side of being alone is loneliness. I find solitude refreshing and renewing. Just like some plants can't stand too much sunlight and must be planted in the shade, I am a person who can't be with people all of the time. I like sunlight and I like people but to grow and bloom I must have time in the shade of solitude. Solitude fills me with what I need to be a person that other people want to be around. Solitude fills up my gas tank and charges up my battery. Without it I am easily depleted and overcome with exhaustion.

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