My thoughts on solitude ~
I quite enjoy being alone, which is a good thing considering I am about to turn 40 years old while still “enjoying” my single life. 😉
Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT anti-social at all and I don’t have any issues meeting new people or being with people in general. Those that know me well wouldn’t call me shy or NOT social. BUT truth be told, often I prefer to be by myself. I often prefer solitude to being with big groups of people.
I enjoy my own company. Does that sound prideful? I don’t mean it to be. I suppose this comes partly due to the fact that I have spent my adult life thus far as a single person. (with a few relationships throughout)
Writing this inspired me to look up the definitions for introverts vs. extroverts.
My quick definitions:
Extroverts: get “re-charged” from things outside of one’s self
Introverts: get “re-charged” from one’s own mental life
Though I definitely possess traits of the extrovert (enthusiastic AND talkative!), based on the definition I would say that I am much more introverted.
Now thinking back to my childhood, I can definitely remember seeking out my solitude. (Not a huge surprise really considering I grew up in a pretty busy household)
Here’s a picture that shows a bit of the back of our house:
You can’t really tell from this picture, but beyond what you can see if you go past the playhouse, (My parents built this for us – how cute is it?) is a huge (to me at the time) hill that I would climb. I’d trek up through the woods, with lunch/book in hand to get the top of the hill. Once I got to the top, my view would be of the river below.
I absolutely LOVED to do this. I would seek out other vantage points around my small town but always the view inspired me and always with the goal to enjoy solitude.
It was here on the hill that I learned to be with my own thoughts. I did pray and talk to God back then but at that time in my young life I really didn’t know the meaning of being in relationship with God…that would come later. BUT I knew there was something bigger than myself and I knew that my life would take me on a journey. I think my young mind felt the stirring of purposefulness, even back then. It’s very cool to remember these things…I hope you will do the same.
Today, I’m grateful that I am a woman that enjoys my own company. I pray and hope that one day I would be able to share my life with someone. I hope that my pleasure in solitude does not hinder my future relationship. I think I will be able to make the adjustment! 😉
What are your thoughts on being alone? Do you enjoy this time like me, or are you more often feeling lonely? Would love to hear it…
Here I take a little journey through thoughts of my adolescent body image as I recall it.
Here again, you can see that I was of pretty average weight. I don’t remember my parents feeding me anything other than the occasional treat when it came to sweets at this age.
In both of these pictures to the left, I was 12 years old. I believe I was very aware of my changing body and how I looked at this stage relating to my adolescence body image. Not sure what was going on with my jeans in the first picture. LOL AND it certainly doesn’t seem that I had an issue with showing my legs in the second picture. 😉
Introducing…Paula the Water Skier!
My grandfather and aunt taught me how to water ski when I was pretty young and they felt confident enough about me being in the water. I can remember sitting in the boat watching my aunt ski who was really quite good and desperately wanting to learn to water ski. Finally the day came and she loaned me a pair of water skiis. I’m sure that I did not get up that first day.
I have wonderful father daughter stories and memories of my childhood. Of course I loved my mother just as much as dear ol dad, but there was something about spending time with him that I loved. Perhaps it was because I was the first born and a girl at that. (My brother wouldn’t come along until 2 more daughters and several years later.) I guess one might have called me a tomboy in my youth and I don’t think I would have minded.
Memory #2 and why I know I did many things just to hang out with my father…aren’t little girls cute? 😉 I was my fathers daughter and I wanted to be by his side even if it meant the freezing cold of winter toting a gun and mindful of the tears freezing on my cheek because I was so uncomfortable. I did the gun safety course just as any son …errr daughter would do, but even before I could carry a gun I was going on these deer hunting expeditions with him.
Yes! The 
