Monthly Archives: December 2024

The Necessity of Solitude

This week, I’ve picked up this astounding little book again.

Here is part of the author’s riff on the magnificent value of cultivating solitude.

“To be alone is not necessarily to be absent from the company of others; the radical step is to let ourselves alone, to cease the berating voice that is constantly trying to interpret and force the story from too small and too complicated a perspective…”

“It may be that time away from a work, an idea of ourselves, or a committed partner is the very essence of appreciation for the other, for the work and for the life of another; to be able to let them alone as we let ourselves alone, to live something that feels like a choice again, to find ourselves alone as a looked-for achievement, not a state to which we have been condemned.” (Consolations, pg.14)

Whoa! And yes, please!

Rededicating to a discipline of solitude is a wonderful way to live the season of Advent.

First Time, Last Time

When’s the last time you did something for the first time?

Yes, there is much to be said for consistency and the pursuit of focused excellence.

And, developing one’s range is also powerful.  The experience of stepping into the unknown (and incompetence!) to learn a new thing is frightening and wonderful.

And using “last time” in a new sense… Our lives are rather short, when you think about it, and there will be a last time that we are able to do something for the first time. This urgency helps us accept the risk of doing something new.