Go Alone

When I was only 18 or 19, I was loading up my truck for my first trip out west. I did not know where I was going, and I did not know anyone outside of Charleston County. And the people I did know at home, I didn’t like or they didn’t like me. So I guess this perspective is somewhat unique;

I started traveling the world alone not because no one would say “I want to go!” but rather because I had no one at all. Looking back I am so grateful the Lord guided me away from believing two fatal thoughts; you need others to do things, and that living life alone was inherently negative.

A few years and a hundred thousand or so miles later, well . . . traveling alone is my favorite pastime. Eating alone is my favorite meal. Walking through the woods alone is my favorite exercise, and staring at a sunset over the water alone is my favorite sight. 

Nowadays I often hide my adventures from friends and family, because I want to be alone. It is so odd watching friends of mine squirm in loneliness, and I wonder if there’s anything I could say to help them. But more often than not I simply think to myself, “my goodness, you have no idea what you’re missing right now.” Maybe it’s my upbringing or my intrinsic nature that makes me so adept at being alone. Maybe it’s a survival skill honed most strikingly after my brothers passing. I actually worry that this might become detrimental to my future marriage (because I will never give up being alone for extended periods).

In any case, fearing loneliness or looking down on being alone is quite dangerous. You are the only person you will spend the entirety of your life with, so you best make sure you enjoy your own company.