Man Alone

If you can mentally separate solitude from loneliness today, your time alone will seem alive with possibility.

Unknown
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Hello Arkene
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There is a big difference between aloneness and loneliness. I've lived alone now for almost 15 years. I often wish I had some companionship, particularly of the female persuasion. But since I am not vigorously pursuing it, or even passively pursuing it, I guess it's not that vital to me.

The fact is I keep excellent company with myself. I agree with almost everything I say. I don't bitch at myself for leaving my dirty socks on the floor. And when I come through the door everyone here is glad to see me.

One sad part is that since I don't have anyone to talk to, I talk to myself. Out loud. And since I've grown used to talking to myself I've caught myself doing it in public. So now I am giving the impression of a harmless old coot sitting on a bench mumbling to himself.

One happy part of aloneness is the absence of interruptions. My head is full of ideas, most of which I can do nothing about confined as I am with serious lack of abundant income, unable to transport myself easily and living in an area seriously arid of any cultural activity. But there are some ideas growing up out of the top of my kitchen table which can grab my interest with a fist and set me to working something out, whether a painting, a story or a blog entry. My time is my own, it belongs to me and my muse, my angel of inspiration.

Life is a grand puzzle. I've tried throwing away the pieces in the past, but, no good, they won't go away. Now I cherish them. Each time I put two pieces together I'm delighted. That I have no one to show it to is frustrating. But I know it's a puzzle with an infinite number of pieces and if someone else joins a few pieces and they fit with mine, very good. And if they don't both of our lives are enriched anyway.

In my solitude lands are explored, discoveries are made, mysteries unfold, principles are learned, knowledge grows, wells are filled, stars are captured, majesty is revealed and possibilities are endless.

DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never give up.

Wisdom's Watching 10/06/09

Tomorrow hopes that we have learned something from yesterday.

John Wayne
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Let's go.
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Here I am on the cusp of my 8th decade and it seems to me that life is still about learning the rules. As I was working on one of my paintings yesterday I was wondering if I will ever learn how to paint. I was an actor for 50 years and one thing I learned during that time was that I didn't know as much about acting as I thought I did. That's not so surprising, I suppose. One can say that about any of life's ventures.

In my youth I gleefully and proudly acknowledged that I was an actor. Then, a few times, and an unfortunately few times, I worked with older actors who really knew their business. Those few times opened my eyes to what the potential was for really excellent work and set me to learning more. No longer content with what I was capable of I set out to gain more knowledge of my craft and my art.

Leigh, in her journal http://leigh-mythoughtshonestly.blogspot.com/, writes "Living a life of possibilities and new experiences. My life's journey has been, and still is a learning experience."

I applaud that. I think this is the truth of things. The journey is all about the journey. The question "When will I learn to live?" is matched by "What will I learn today?" What will I learn today about life? And when my today becomes yesterday what will it mean to tomorrow? What new experience will I have, what new horizon of possibilities will come into view for me? What experiences of yesterday can I leave in the ground as seeds for tomorrow's harvest? Not just what rocky roads might I find tomorrow and how will I deal with them, but what challenges did I successfully meet yesterday and what did I learn from them?

We are all capable of more than we do. That's true. But it is also true that we are all more capable than we think we are.

"Will I ever learn and, if so, when?" I like to think that Lawrence Olivier, Leonardo Da Vinci and Albert Einstein were asking themselves those question right to the end.

DB - Vagabond Journeys
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May you be swift to love.
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P. S. My leg has much improved.