aloneness

i dearly love to be alone. love it and need it. don't get me wrong, i adore me some people; but when it comes to recharging my energy battery, i have to do it with just me. when i'm in that space, only trees, oceans, flowers and birds are welcome.
so, the thing that i'm finding is that as i commune with myself and nature and the great love that's always swirling, i can bring what i've accumulated in aloneness and pour it into togetherness. i fully believe in love and loving relationships, friendships, families, etc., but i realize that for them to be at their full potential requires me being happy just being with me. this is a beautiful thing to embrace whenever your facebook status happens to be "single". welcome it, don't resent it; hug it, don't hate on it. it's not a curse - it's an opportunity.
a friend just commented the other day about how there are millions of "me and you goin' fishin' in the dark" songs in the universe, but no "i'm flying solo and lovin' it" songs out there. so, i decided to start writing one for her. i only had 5 minutes to commit to it, so don't judge. :)

surround me with love and songs and paint;
give me a brush and a quiet rendition.
i'll give it my all just for me and my shadow -
check the box if you've read the terms and conditions.
don't push me baby, cuz i ain't no saint;
i'll do what i want when i want to (yeah),
and this is love, too, of another dimension.
(do-wop-wop-do-wop)

ok, but seriously, i do realize that sometimes aloneness can cross the line into loneliness. or i can get disillusioned with people and want to just hole up away from them. (i recently thought about creating "hermit the blog", dedicated to the art of being alone, but since i can't even keep up with this one, 2 is probably a bit ambitious.) anyway, i believe that even the shadow side of aloneness has value. and i'm doing my best not to run away from it.
if you happen to be partnered in life, i encourage you to find that time to retreat off into your own body, soul and spirit; if you happen to be single, sing hallelujah for the opportunity you have with yourself. and make friends with lots of trees.