Life's Lessons #21 BE Alone

Perhaps this sounds odd. MayBE even a little depressing. Well, there you go. Life is like that sometimes.

Just stay with me a minute, okay?!

I used to dread having to spend time alone. Which is odd, when I think of it over the long stretch of my Life. I often craved time by myself when I was with people. I wonder, did I dread it, or did I just NOT want to BE it?!

Whatever, I have learned in this past year that to BE Alone is quite extraordinary. It is NOT the punishment I long BElieved it to BE. It is NOT even a consolation prize, thank you for playing but you are NOT chosen...

BEing alone is a skill. It is an art. It requires focus and attention and all the other good stuff we bring to what we often consider our "important work."

BEing alone is a gift. It is NOT BEing relegated to some back room or underground cave [both of which I often thought it to BE] but it IS a special place that is hidden, even out of sight when considered otherwise.

I have really come to enJOY my Alone Time as well my Aloneness. I don't know any other way to say it. 

Of course, it gets tricky, BEing Alone, when we have others who want us to BE there or we are committed to BEing somewhere or DOing something. Perhaps this is where I got it all sorted upside down and inside out.

BE Alone. BE with yourself without distraction or activity or particularly thinkingorfeeling anything. Just BE. Alone.

Of course, I have had to redefine what Alone and BEing Alone mean to me. I have had unexpected visitor feelings from my Past come up and bite me on the nose more than a few times this year. [even this week!!]

And I have also accepted that my definition[s] of Alone will likely go on shifting themselves, but that is all fine. 

I have learned and unlearned a LOT about BEing Alone in 2013. I suspect this will continue...