This weekend, I was pretty much alone. The word alone sounds a bit depressing. You probably think this is about to be a gloomy read. We associate loneliness with a bad feeling. So, let me change the wording…
This weekend, I was pretty much in a state of solitude.
Most of my friend group went home for the weekend, and of course, Friday was Valentine’s Day, and I am single. I knew this weekend would be spent mostly alone. By the end of the weekend, I learned I was okay with this.
One of the nights, I sat in my bed alone and started writing in my notes app. Two different notes were created.
The first one read,
“I have just been alone, like actually alone for a few hours. Nobody is here. No friends. No roommate. But I feel refreshed. I feel like I just reset myself. I have not been truly alone unless I’m totally asleep. Someone is always here or near. And I was scared because they were all leaving this weekend. I love my friends, and I am extremely grateful for all of them. I just realized that I do need that time to myself to thrive. I feel so inspired and motivated right now, and all I did was watch a movie and eat some popcorn alone.”
The second one was a list. It was all the things I loved and was grateful for in the moment. Each started with the phrase “I love.”
- I love tulips
- I love listening to music
- I love doing little crafts
- I love deep conversations
- I love quality time
- I love it when people listen
- I love to talk
- I love the color pink
- I love game evenings with family or game nights with friends
- I love hearing laughter
- I love getting into my warm bed after a hot shower
- I love home-cooked meals (especially by my mom)
- I love peach boba tea with the black tapioca pearls that no one else likes
- I love spontaneous trips
- I love feeling appreciated
- I love taking random photos of anything I find aesthetic
- I love scrolling through Pinterest
- I love new movies or tv shows I can get addicted to
- I love it when I make people smile
- I love a nice, juicy steak
- I love random bursts of energy where I start dancing
- I love exploring new places and cities
- I love taking funny pictures with my tongue out or kissy lips
- I love jewelry
- I love good food
- I love coloring
- I love getting ready in a fun outfit and curling my hair
- I love life
The thing is, I can be alone because I know how to appreciate the time spent by myself. It allows me to reflect on all the things I love and, therefore, be more loving. It is all about balance. I love being in the presence of others, but I also love doing things for myself.
In that time spent alone, I was able to take a step back and truly appreciate the small things in life.