The Art of Aloneness - The Fruits of Solitude and Thought by a Hopeless Wanderer
I had a conversation with a friend last night, about my blog and why it is named, “Art of Aloneness”. I explained, that when I started the blog, the fruits within in it were the result of several years of solitude and thought. Years of contemplation and healing; contemplating what I had been through, how I could find healing and rid myself of the guilt, shame and hurt I felt because of all that I had been through. After this conversation, I considered renaming my blog, since it had evolved; from me being alone, to taking the journey back to couple hood, and then finding myself back to enjoying being alone. I had evolved and had learned a great deal throughout my years alone. I had a series of epiphanies about what I had learned about myself, as well. One of those realizations, being that I liked being alone and, that I wanted to stay alone. At least, until I found the right person who complemented my life and brought something that I couldn’t otherwise have in my life, alone. The name of my bog had been fitting, throughout the first part of this seven year journey. I considered changing the name of my blog to be more representative of the latter part of my journey but then, found a meme that was aligned with this journey and that reflected a lot of the things I had learned throughout this journey. It said,
“I knew I was healing when: I started responding rather than reacting, I enjoyed time alone, I saw my parents as people with their own unresolved trauma, I set boundaries and when people didn’t respect them, I knew they were clearing space for those who did; and, I was okay with being misunderstood.” – Dr. Nicole Lepera
I found this meme, and I realized how aligned this thought process was with everything I had contemplated, throughout these seven years, alone. All of the epiphanies I’d had and all of the content I’d written in this blog. And, I realized that this was because I was healing, too. I posted the meme because I’d already written a blog post today, and didn’t know if I had more words today; to describe what this meant to me and how it aligned with my life. But I wanted it out there, because it explained perfectly, why my blog was, despite the fact that I’d been recently writing healthier content, named in such a way that people misunderstood its purpose. That people thought me to be lonely and broken. In fact, the very first comment on my blog, was suggesting that I was never truly alone. It was someone commenting, to try to make me feel less alone but not understanding that part of that “art of aloneness”, that I was alluding to, was that of turning loneliness into aloneness, and isolation into solitude. When I went looking for a song to go with this post, I found songs about loneliness, ads about depression and articles on signs of suicide. All it did was to serve to show me what the world thinks about being alone. And, I feel compelled to say again, this blog is about being okay alone. It’s not about being lonely. It's a healing journey; the fruits of solitude and thought.
I posted this meme today, to illustrate to anyone who reads my content regularly, or at least understands the gist of what I am saying throughout my posts, that there is healing in the arts. And, that the, “art of aloneness”, is one such art. That life imitates art, just as art imitates life, and that there is power in this art. There is power in solitude and thought.
This blog, is the result of this aloneness. As I said earlier, it’s the fruits of these years spent in solitude and thought. Through, finding the peace and embracing the quiet, I’m healing through this art form. I’m healing through solitude and thought. It has inspired me to be brave and vulnerable; to share my story. It has also inspired the same in others; to reach out to me, to be vulnerable, as well, and to share their experiences. It has inspired others to create, in the same way or differently; but to create, all the same.
There is healing in all creation. There is healing in coming together, as a community and reaching out to others. It has inspired hope in others. It inspired love and helped to spread that love and light, within this community. It’s brought light and love back to me. I’m hoping that my posts; the darker ones, or the later epiphanies and revelations, continue to inspire hope in others. That they continue to resonate with others, and maybe even help others heal, in the same way. That anyone that reads the tear-stained pages of my aloneness journey can understand this journey; can understand the importance of solitude and thought. That they can see the art, of aloneness and its role in the healing process.