Monday, March 13, 2006

In Solitude

It's been a different kind of day. First I woke up at 3 am and that was the end of sleep for the day. I managed to get an hour's nap later in the morning before the phone woke me up. Two and a half hours later I was off the phone and the sun was shining so beautifully through the windows that I just sat and soaked it up like a cat. I have been in solitude since last Friday and the quiet has been good. I wonder sometimes if solitude is necessary for a person to learn to be comfortable in their own skin, to welcome one's own company?

On the other end of the phone was a long time friend who I chat with every 3 or 4 months even though we only live 5 miles apart. It was good to connect again.

I met her when I moved back to this community nearly 17 years ago. She didn't want to be friends with a young mom of 3 preschoolers. Her kids were 10 years older than mine and she was in a different stage of life. But she persevered. We have laughed so much together and cried, too. Seventeen years has seen her marriage break down and the start of a new life for her. Seventeen years has seen the breakdown of my health and the start of a new life for me. She went away thankful for her health today and I went away thankful for my marriage.

Our common bond is our faith and much of our conversation is about our relationship with God and the struggles of being human. It is good to have friends for the long haul, who stick with you as you grow and change and take a detour on this or that tangent. People who believe in you when it looks like it would be stupidity to do so.

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