Illumination Point

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Living is learning. Each day brings new lessons. Some we understand very quickly, others take time to decipher.

A couple of days ago, I saw a post from a lady saying she loved enjoying her 'me' time more and more. She asked whether it was 'selfishness'. I could relate to her because I just love the feeling of being by myself (generally speaking). It was not always like this. There was a time when I used to have a lot of people around me and did not know what being by myself was. Life and circumstances brought me to a point where I was forced into that state of being, forced me to come to terms with it and then brought me to a point where I started enjoying solitude and my own company.

So when I received a forward on Whatsapp today, it demystified for me the process that was taking place.

When I lived at home, I was surrounded by family and friends. I looked for company outside of me. I searched for happiness outside of me. Then when I was thrown into a situation of being by myself, I had to cope with loneliness for a long time. I was still looking for company outside. When eventually I learned to enjoy my own company, it was no longer loneliness. It is the bliss of solitude. To reach this stage, it was essential to first stop being so highly-strung as I was in my younger days. It was necessary to relax, to grow more tolerant and accepting. I had to be able to live with myself, which I could not with that highly-strung person. The day I could do that, I started to enjoy my own company.

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Another mystery seems to have got solved in my head. The result of all my solitude! I have been wondering how it was that when I had so much to do as a young person, I still got bored. Now when I have a lot more free time (including periods of nothing to do), I find time flies as if it has wings. This mystery got cleared up this past week when I had a busier schedule all 5 days of the week - more than I have had in some time. I was so exhausted and by the time I got to the end of one day it was the start of another.

When we are young, we have plenty to do and plenty of energy - physical and mental. Time does not keep pace with us. It drags along leading to boredom.
When we are older and slow down, needing more time to relax, it appears as if there is no time between returning from work one day and going to work another day. Days seem to fly by.

If this reasoning is not true, then maybe it is true that our planet has indeed entered another dimension where the concept of time is something else.

 

Thanks Sindmani.

 

Shyamala, that is true. No one wants to be alone all of the time. We are social beings and need each other. It is through social interactions and conversations that there is an exchange of ideas and this also has a major role to play in personal growth. But seeking one's own company, being content and happy with it is a very pleasurable state of affairs. The more we run after others' company, the more the scope for loneliness and disappointments because our expectations and others' abilities to fulfil those may not necessarily match.

 

LOL Shanvy. Yes, actually these thought processes were triggered by the fact that I don't have 'much to do'. Still I find 24 hours are sometimes not enough. The year had hardly made its entry and it is almost half way through. The other day, there was a like on one of my posts. I went back and read it and looked at the date. I could not believe it was Feb 2016. It felt like yesterday. I checked twice or thrice, but the date on top still remained Feb 2016 (as if it was going to change!) Yes, the 10K challenge is also part of it. By the time I've finished one day's quota, the next day is there to push against again.

Why not imagine he talked maturity of mind? It wouldn't hurt us, would it?