Being Alone

Chillin’ at the laundromat a couple days ago…I surely do miss comfy shirts!

There is a difference between being alone and feeling alone. 
There is a difference between loneliness and alone-ness.

There is sitting in an empty apartment facing a computer screen, aimed at the television, glancing down at your phone and wondering if anyone knows you’re alive and where all your friends have gone, feeling lost and abandoned and stifled.

Then there is sitting in a silent apartment, lit by the warm glow of candles, reading a book and taking in the sounds around you – the fridge, the neighbors, the hiss of the heater – and being startled by your phone suddenly going off and noticing that hours have passed since you last ate those Oreos and your book is almost finished.

I recently had a conversation with someone who said that they couldn’t be completely happy with himself until he had found a successful relationship.  This is a concept that is no longer conceivable to me.  I never imagined I could be so happy, and peaceful, completely on my own.  Regardless of what goes on around me, I feel I could be alone and totally content.  That’s a huge step.