I must have been only four or five. My little brother wasn't born till I was six, so I had lots of time to play alone. I played dolls, rummaging around for doll accessories in my "doll clothes box" on the floor of my closet.
I climbed the cedar tree in my front yard, where the funnest places to sit were thankfully close to the ground where I was safe.
On the day I remember so vividly, though, I roamed out to the old, abandoned chicken house. Only a chicken house in years gone by, the wood now very darkened with age and some holes in the roof where sunlight would peek through.
I stepped through the doorway into one of those dust filled sunbeams that felt like golden light. The dust particles hung in the air like lace curtains.
Coming from a wooden crate in the center of the chicken house, came the faintest sounds. I climbed up to peer over the edge of the wooden box to find my cat Priscilla looking up at me, surrounded by little mewing balls of fur.
There they all were, nestled in a bed of straw in a warm, safe place, and I remember feeling like I'd just found the greatest secret treasure on earth. And because I was alone, it was my secret treasure!
I can't help but believe this scene would've played out very differently had I been with anyone else! This was a gift to me, to find my kitty and her babies all by myself.
Maybe I didn't mind playing alone because as an adult, I now know I'm an introvert and require fairly large chunks of time to be alone to recharge.
So, even if we thrive being in the presence of others, there are benefits, even if for brief periods of time to being alone.
I'm wondering, if we keep our eyes open, what treasures we could find for our souls in the gift of solitude?
Thanks for joining in on Day 3 of 31 Days of Soul Spas! I'm glad you're on this journey with me! Please see Day 1 for a list of all 31 days of Soul Spa topics.
~Anne
I climbed the cedar tree in my front yard, where the funnest places to sit were thankfully close to the ground where I was safe.
On the day I remember so vividly, though, I roamed out to the old, abandoned chicken house. Only a chicken house in years gone by, the wood now very darkened with age and some holes in the roof where sunlight would peek through.
I stepped through the doorway into one of those dust filled sunbeams that felt like golden light. The dust particles hung in the air like lace curtains.
Coming from a wooden crate in the center of the chicken house, came the faintest sounds. I climbed up to peer over the edge of the wooden box to find my cat Priscilla looking up at me, surrounded by little mewing balls of fur.
There they all were, nestled in a bed of straw in a warm, safe place, and I remember feeling like I'd just found the greatest secret treasure on earth. And because I was alone, it was my secret treasure!
I can't help but believe this scene would've played out very differently had I been with anyone else! This was a gift to me, to find my kitty and her babies all by myself.
Maybe I didn't mind playing alone because as an adult, I now know I'm an introvert and require fairly large chunks of time to be alone to recharge.
But, I also believe there are gifts to be found for our souls in solitude for all types of personalities.
When we take time to be alone
we can hear our thoughts (maybe this is scary, maybe not),
we have space to think and dream.
Our own personal white space.
So, even if we thrive being in the presence of others, there are benefits, even if for brief periods of time to being alone.
I'm wondering, if we keep our eyes open, what treasures we could find for our souls in the gift of solitude?
Thanks for joining in on Day 3 of 31 Days of Soul Spas! I'm glad you're on this journey with me! Please see Day 1 for a list of all 31 days of Soul Spa topics.
~Anne
