When was the last time you were truly alone?
Alone with your mind.
Alone with your heart.
Alone with your breath.
Away from friends. From family. From lovers.
Away from your phone. Your facebook. Your blog.
Away from the television. The internet. A book.
Did you feel lonely? Watched? Pitied? Scared?
Or centered? Connected? Loved? Free?
Ever felt completely alone in a crowded room?
Alone in the company of your best friend?
Alone in a relationship you thought would fill you so full?
Ever felt content swimming in the ocean with no one else for miles?
Felt complete staring at the wonder of the world without someone there to distract you?
Felt pride, compassion, self love for doing one thing, anything, on your own and living beyond it?
When I travel, alone, I feel all of these.
Sublime joy.
Deep sorrow.
Exhilaration.
Fear.
But what I feel, is mine and mine alone.
Because we are all alone.
But when our needs are fulfilled, from within, we will never be lonely.
We will always be loved.
We can liberate ourselves from our expectations of others.
And become oh so wholly and deeply complete in our own aloneness.
Because you, alone, are exactly what you need.
i love this post! i’m always enjoyed being alone and living and traveling alone. people tell me i’m weird for liking it so much, but its nice to know that others feel the same
Just keep on loving yourself and your love will flow freely to others
Hi! I have always followed your friend Andie’s blog and was thrilled when she attached a link to your blog. I just wanted to say “Thank You” for this post. I recently moved for work to an area where I knew no one. That was scary, yet exciting all at the same time. I have found that I love to travel by myself and to explore by myself. Yes…there are times when I think ‘if only I had someone to see this with or to share this experience with, it would be better’, BUT I’ve waited to travel with friends before and it not happened. So it is amazing to book a trip without worrying that someone might cancel! I have learned to appreciate being alone and that is truly the time when I can be me!
So enjoy your travels, enjoy your solo time – And please keep updating!
Hayley
Thank you Hayley! It is great you are viewing your recent move as an adventure
Good luck in the new locale, I’ll try to keep sending more inspiration your way!
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Love!
Beautiful. And yes, I have.
Loved this! And really needed it today
nena
YES! beautifully said! just hopped over from andie’s blog about your blog! congratulations!
Thank you Jamie. I hope to do you and my darling Andie proud
I, too, received the email from Andie regarding your new blog and am glad she sent it. It’s comforting to know others feel the same: alone in a crowded room, alone though with someone who should make the loneliness go away, alone in general, even though the closest people may be around.
I will be a regular reader.
Thanks Brooke I appreciate your support!
Reblogged this on An Account of My Days.
Thanks for the reblog, glad you found it bookmarkworthy
I’ll be sure to check out your travels as well.
Beautiful writing and images! But really? You think self-sufficiency is the answer to aloneness? If we in ourselves were enough, would we ever even feel alone in the first place? To me, the solution of “find completion in yourself” is equally as elusive (and substantively the same) as “find completion in others.”
Thanks Jean, yes I agree. I hope it doesn’t sound like I am saying we don’t need one another or human connection. Personally, I swing in the opposite direction where I’ve looked to others to fill my needs. My belief is that in finding peace within ourselves, by ourselves, we are in a better place to enjoy the beautiful fulfillment we can find in relationships.
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