Weekly Photo Challenge: SOLITUDE
“It is good to be solitary, for solitude is difficult; that something is difficult must be a reason the more for us to do it.” Rainer Maria Rilke
Weekly Photo Challenge: SOLITUDE – What alone time looks like…
Weekly Photo Challenge: SOLITUDE – What alone time looks like…
Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone. Paul Tillich
We live in a very tense society. We are pulled apart… and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together… I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude. Helen Hayes
But in the end, in the end one is alone. We are all of us alone. I mean I’m told these days we have to consider ourselves as being in society… but in the end one knows one is alone, that one lives at the heart of a solitude. Harold Bloom
Do you spend any time in solitude? Do you have alone time? I believe it is very important to make time for solitary contemplation. Why? Because it can be incredibly healing and helpful to maintaining our sanity and developing clarity. I enjoy the quiet that comes from being able to spend time by myself, alone in a quiet space, cut off from the noise and demands of the world, and being able to contemplate things that matter to me. I think it is healthy for our soul to find time to be with ourselves and spend some of it reflecting on our day, our space and our work.
Meditation also offers a focused way to tune within and be with our quiet spaces. I find that it refreshes me and prepares me to face the world and do battle with it from a centered place. For some reason, some folks confuse peace with vapidity… Being a person of peace doesn’t automatically make you a doormat or a weak person who grins from ear to ear. On the contrary, when we are centered in our quiet space, we can see the BS for what it is and are able to deal with it handily.
In The Depths Of Solitude – Poem by Tupac Shakur
i exist in the depths of solitude
pondering my true goal
trying 2 find peace of mind
and still preserve my soul
constantly yearning 2 be accepted
and from all receive respect
never comprising but sometimes risky
and that is my only regret
a young heart with an old soul
how can there be peace
how can i be in the depths of solitude
when there r 2 inside of me
this duo within me causes
the perfect opportunity
2 learn and live twice as fast
as those who accept simplicity
Tupac Shakur via PoemHunter
More Below!
“There’s a difference between solitude and loneliness. I can understand the concept of being a monk for a while.” Tom Hanks
Weekly Photo Challenge: SOLITUDE – What alone time looks like…
Weekly Photo Challenge: SOLITUDE – What alone time looks like…
Solitude is the place of purification. Martin Buber
One can acquire everything in solitude except character. Stendhal
Solitude, isolation, are painful things and beyond human endurance. Jules Verne
Being solitary is being alone well: being alone luxuriously immersed in doings of your own choice, aware of the fullness of your won presence rather than of the absence of others. Because solitude is an achievement. Alice Koller
When do you find yourself in solitude? Do you enjoy it? If solitude is the state of being alone, then we have all been there. Some of us make a deliberate effort to spend quiet time or to go away to a retreat for some solitude. There are others, and I know a few, who can’t bear to be alone for one minute. I think it is healthier to make time for peace and quiet in your space, and to be able to shut out the noise for a while; it gives us all time to regroup. If you are fearful to spend any time with yourself, you need to reflect on what is behind the fear. Seeking professional help won’t be a bad idea either… For now, chin up, pull up a chair, turn off your devices and listen to your heartbeat…. how was your day? What needs to change? Find time to be alone. It’s worth the effort.
Solitude BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain. via PoetryFoundation
This post was inspired by a prompt from WP Weekly Photo Challenge Post: – SOLITUDE – This week, show us what being alone means to you. If you’re finding yourself surrounded by too many people, or too many sensations, or too many obligations, take a quiet moment for yourself. Seek solitude, and reset. Or, perhaps you find yourself isolated too often, and solitude evokes negative emotions that photography can help you work through. I look forward to seeing your interpretations of this challenge!
Have a relaxing weekend!
Positive Motivation Tip: Make time for solitary contemplation, it is both healing and helpful for our clarity.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All other Photos from my personal collection.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
I love having my own little time of solitude. I love to spend it reading. It’s my time just to zone out and just relax! Great post.
This reminds me of the idea that saying NO provides one the ability to maintain time for themselves. Similar to that, allowing ourselves the opportunity to have our own time permits us the ability to be in that solitude. It isn’t about being alone, but being a part of ourselves. What a lovely reminder you gave us all today!
When I was younger, I did not want to experience solitude. I felt like my mind would wander and I would focus on things that brought me tears or heartache. As I have aged, I do not mind the solitude now. I am not afraid of what comes to my mind either. Perhaps it is because I am comfortable with who I am.
When I was younger I did not want to experience solitude. I was afraid of what I would think. Now that I am older and comfortable with who I am, I do not mind it so much.
Sometimes it’s hard for me to find alone time because I’m around people at work and also at home ALL the time. The only alone time that I get (even though I’m not completely alone) is when I go to the gym because I’m hyper focus on myself. I put my headphones in and do my own thing or sometimes I go for a run and I’m able to be alone with my thoughts.
Being at peace with yourself when alone is difficult and I find it impossible to calm my mind from all its whirring thoughts. The poem is beautiful 🙂
Great photos! I think alone time is so important to have and it’s really relaxing to have a quiet moment to myself every once in a while
For me, solitude is bliss. I welcome time when I can be alone with peace and quiet. I am one of those people who can do very well alone.
There are times I appreciate being alone and enjoying the quietness and peace of my surrounding.
I love the pictures!! I call it “me time”, I like to go for a walk alone to just enjoy the quiet. Three grandsons can be loud together!!
I value my alone time and I love being alone, it’s peaceful and refreshing. I think it’s important for people to have time for themselves. You’ve definitely captured the perfect photos for this theme!
When I was younger I though the solitude was something bad and now that I grew up sometimes I need it 😉 By the way, in a way those pics are pretty funny !
I hear you. I desperately need time in solitude to recharge my batteries.I am a social butterfly but there’s only so much in me to give to people and if I don’t recharge I will end up a lifeless mess.
Katja xxx
As much as spending time with our beloved ones, sometimes responsibilities can be overwhelming. Yes, some solo time is needed!
It’s really great to take time for solitude. It has a negative cannotation for some but I feel its necessary to gain a better understanding of ourselves.
I love my time alone. Its refreshing.
This is something I really, REALLY crave for – some alone time. I am actually dreaming of being someplace else, away from all these responsibilities that is suffocating my true self. I hope, someday soon, I can have time for myself. I feel I am about to snap.
My bf has the habit of going into solitude once in a while, and this kinda frustrates me when he doesn’t forewarn me and goes missing. It makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong and he just wishes to get away~
Yes! I enjoy my solitude. When all the kids are at school and my husbands at work and the dog is taking a nap, the quietness is my solitude.
Sometimes being alone is what we all need…We always keep finding something outside but it’s necessary that we see what’s deep inside our mind. May be we’ll get lot of answers…
I myself find time to be alone, not because I am sad but because I think we need it. to reflect and meditate to love ourself more and realize that we are blessed.