A Craving for Solitude

All day, I've had a craving for solitude. It's a difficult thing to obtain in a city. I just wanted to find someplace to be alone - someplace within walking distance, but away from everybody and everything. At lunch, I went in search of such a place, but failed to find anywhere that met my needs.

In my head, I envisioned a vast, empty meadow bordered by a redwood forest thick enough to keep out the sight and sound of people and cars and tall enough to touch the clouds and block any buildings from view. The meadow would be green and the grass would be so soft that I could fall backwards into it and the entire field would ripple gently. I would lie there and stare at the sky or maybe close my eyes and feel the warmth of the sun or the coolness of the breeze on my face. My breathing would slow and deepen. The tension in my muscles would seep away. With each unhurried minute that passed, my energy and focus would return. I would find my center again. And when the moment felt right, I would slowly rise, leave that haven of solitude, and return to the world.

Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.
- May Sarton