the joy of solitude

sculpture by Glen Lemesurier

mama

Maybe joy is an exaggeration. It's more like making a virtue of necessity. In the old days, hermits hiked into the wilderness and found caves in order to contemplate whatever they're contemplating without distraction. Now days, all you have to do is get old and retire and you can live like a hermit in a big city. It's great, solitude for free. The trick is to not listen to discouraging voices. Nip depressive inertia in the bud. Maintain discipline. Smile. When your heart urges you to sing and dance. Go ahead. Do it. When your mind wishes to explore. Do so. There's no reason to not indulge imagination and intelligence when you're blessed with free time and when you're given unlimited solitude.