Solitude.

By definition solitude is: the state or situation of being alone. In a world that tends to be community driven at its core the act of being with oneself solely can sometimes cause concern from the outside perspective looking in.
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A popular term that has been gaining ever increasing traction in this day and age is “self-care”. How can we be of any help to those around us without ourselves first being in a good place mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally? Without being well-balanced in all those areas of our lives, what good do we truly have to offer others?
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The day to day cares and worries of life can have the tendency to beat us down, chew us up, spit us out, and literally suck the life out of our souls. I think it’s essential to take it one day at a time. The only time we have is the present in all actuality. The past cannot be changed, however we can learn and grow from it. The future has yet to be written but, the choices we make in the present moment can effect the trajectory of what may lie ahead.
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It would behoove us to be self-aware and practice self-care in whatever shape, form, or fashion that may look like to us in our personal lives.
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A beautiful place to practice self-care is walking in the intentional practice of purpose driven solitude.
Face it, sometimes we all just need some space to escape or withdraw from the people, places, and things that weigh heavy on our hearts.
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Luke 5:16 tells us that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Prayer in its simplest form is an act of communication with God. When you speak with someone it is a give and take. A healthy dialogue, hopefully where one speaks, one listens, then one responds. After the conversation has taken place decisions are made, actions are or are not taken, understanding is received, knowledge gives birth to wisdom when it is applied and so on and so forth.
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Sometimes solitude is extremely beneficial, don’t get it twisted, if someone needs time to themselves just respect that and allow them to do just that.
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On the flip side, we may have NO idea how they are investing that time, so just be mindful and respectful of people’s time and space.