Solitude

Day and night, night and day; a non-stop cycle that goes on and on till the day we die. And each day brings you twenty four hours; that is one thousand four hundred and forty minutes. Sounds like a big number doesn't it? But unfortunately it isn't. Just a few days back a friend (who is a workaholic in the true sense) was complaining that twenty four hours a day didn't seem to be enough for him. Now he might be an isolated case of 'born to work by my own free will' but don't we all struggle everyday with picking and dropping kids, work, appointments, deadlines, homework, socializing, home management, emergencies and so much more. We have to find time to spend with our kids and spouse and parents. And then there are friends who want to meet up and and projects that demand attention and errands to run and... the list is endless. So what happened to time you spend in your own company? As difficult as it is, I still manage to sneak away from everything around me and enjoy solitude, even if it's just a few moments a couple of times a week. To me, it can be anything; sitting outside on the swing late night after everyone has gone to bed and staring quietly at the starry sky, enjoying the breeze (if there is any), listening to the leaves rustling. Ah! such bliss! Or curling up in an armchair to read a beautiful book, absorbing the words, the thoughts. Or meditating, which gives me an opportunity to push everything out of my mind and just enjoy the peace and quiet and the serenity; or gardening in my little balcony garden where the gorgeous bursts of colour and lush green plants transport me straight to heaven. But the most enjoyable is the time that I spend in a secluded corner of my house wherever I find it on that particular day, and just stay there quietly with my thoughts; digging out beautiful memories that I have cherished for the last seventeen years (and no that's not how old I am, that's when I first fell in love). Nothing gives more pleasure than to have something beautiful in your past that you can look back upon, and every time you do, it brings the same smile to your face as it did back then. It brings tranquility and peace that keeps you going because sometimes just a few memories are enough for a lifetime. I guess I'm fortunate to have experienced what I could treasure for the rest of my life and to be able to steal a few moments every now and then to relive it in my mind. So people, this one is to solitude!