Our life is what our thoughts make it.
~ Marcus Aurelius

A winner is big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.
~John Maxwell

A people that values it privileges above its principles soon loses both.
~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Each man is his own star.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.
~Euripides

If an opportunity scares you, that is God’s way of saying you should jump at it.
~Anna Quindlen

A man can stand a lot as long as he can stand himself.
~Axel Munthe

I like to be alone.  Not to be confused with Greta Garbo’s “I want to be alone.”  I enjoy my family and friends, have a good time with my co-workers, but I don’t mind being by myself at all.  In fact, I relish it. Time alone for me means a chance to dream, to ponder goals, to make sense of events, to do my nails.  Time alone is a chance to reassess where I am in my life’s journey and reconfirm that the actions I am taking are moving me toward that higher purpose we all have in our lives.  It’s also a chance to clean a closet or re-organize a drawer, but those seemingly busy-work activities are, for me, mindless make-work that lets my mind wander in a million directions.

The best decisions I have made for myself have often come during those periods of solitude – my hands busily moving articles, my thoughts spinning over a variety of what-ifs.  My quiet time speaks to me very loudly.

For some people, the thought of solitude is tortuous.  They surround themselves by crowds, fill every hour in their datebook with activities, I see them dash madly from one appointment to another, cellphone in one hand, Blackberry in the other – and I wonder are they really getting anything done?  They speak breathlessly about how they “never have any time!” There’s a tone of pride in their voice.

I find myself wondering why they run so fast – or what they’re running from.  Their level of productivity doesn’t seem to match the level of activity. 

I wonder.  What if they had a day, just a day, with no appointments.  Nothing scheduled.   No agenda items.  Just themselves and their thoughts.  Could they stand it?

Could YOU?

~ Deborah