Monday, June 10, 2013

How to be alone

- or, things that made you realise you, at some point, did some growing up along the way.

Reflecting on life now vs life in my early 20s has come up a lot in conversation for me lately.  Maybe it was the Buzzfeed article that plugged it into me and my circle of friends' subconsciousnesses, but the highlights go deeper than that.  One standout is that I relish the pockets of time when I can be alone and have no problems with taking up a corner of a cafe by myself, resisting "the urge to hang out with your cell phone" and just watching the people go by.  Five years ago I think this would have terrified me, but it's now become a weekend treat that I plan for; I think carefully about what cafe I want to take myself out to (quality over quantity is also something that's changed over the years) and scheme about what I'm going to order for my date of one.

I've been meaning to post this video by Andrea Dorfman for awhile now, it sums it up the quiet confidence earned in this exercise so beautifully.  "You could be, in an instant, surrounded if you needed it."

Take yourself out one day, I think you'll like it.

4 comments :

Unknown said...

I hadn't seen that Buzzfeed article. So funny. So true.

And thanks for this video - I spend a lot of time alone at the movies (especially during festival season). I shall resist the urge to hang out with my mobile a bit more now, though :) x

Kate said...

I love alone time. I plan for it each week. Not necessarily at a cafe, but definitely reading or thinking or crafting at home. Makes me much more human and lets me understand the world around me much better.

Lorna Diwa said...

Haha I know - I agree with the 'social strategy' of late 20s in particular.

And so glad you enjoyed, I read a quote once that "an introverts utility belt is their mobile phone", which is so true and a real discipline to not hang out with it!

Lorna Diwa said...

Cannot agree with you more X

Post a Comment