Hi, reader! Last week, we welcomed our 3rd child to the world! We are now officially playing zone defense. One of the most special moments is seeing how your kids interact with their new sibling. No one teaches you how you’re supposed to interact with a new sibling - it just happens. And boy, is it special.
With that, welcome to the 37th newsletter! This one is all about solitude (yes, something we have less of now).
A read.
On Solitude by Erik Torenberg
A short musing by a blogger about the power of spending time with no devices and no people - what Erik terms as “solos”. The power lies in the ability to hear ourselves think. To pause long enough to allow ourselves to get beyond our surface level thoughts. To come back from solitude feeling more in sync with ourself and the world around us.
While it is simpler for someone single with no kids and a flexible job to “solo” - all of us have an opportunity to find solitude. We have to be intentional about it. Especially in a world designed to distract us.
A thought.
Haven’t found solitude in a while? Here’s what will most likely happen the first few times you do it…
Thought #1: This will be good. I need this. I can do this!
Thought #2: I hear birds chirping. Haven’t heard those in a while.
Thought #3: I wonder what type of bird that is. I’ll look it up! Oh yeah, no phone.
Thought #4: This is boring.
Thought #5: Did I send that email?
…..
Thought #38: I haven’t talked to Kathy in a while, I should call her.
Thought #64: Wow, there are a lot of bird out here!
Thought #89: What’s one small thing I would change about my life?
Thought #118: What truly makes me happy?
Thought #119: How can I do more of that?
What’s one way can you find solitude this week?
A quote.
“To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of, because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions.”
- Deepak Chopra
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Looking for more? You can read the first 36 editions here.