I Am Finding Strength In Solitude

Sometimes, in the dead of night, when all I want to do is pour out my thoughts onto a page and let the words come tumbling out, my mind is finally blank. As it seems, the last few months have left my mind running wild about what it’s like to be alone — what it’s like to have questions about my future and not be able to answer them.

The silence sounds like ringing in my ears, but loud are the thoughts clutter my mind incessantly. At 1:14 a.m., no one else is awake. Nothing stirs outside but the distant sound of a cat meowing, cars racing on the highway, and the soft whirring of the night breeze flowing through the window and into my dark bedroom. Peaceful and quiet, but lonely.

I long to get away from the city noise to reset myself — to drive on the old highway down by the water, keeping my eyes steady on the winding road as it follows the coastline. The tree line gives way to the beautiful ocean, blue as the sky, the reflection on the water as bright as the stars. As the afternoon becomes evening, the sunset blankets the horizon, spreading its array of colors across a beautiful watercolor sky, and what a blessing that is to witness. It is a sight like no other.

I realize that I am a small part of this universe, just one in billions of people. Yet, in those moments when I do feel lonely and insignificant, I remember that I can make my impact in this world. Everything is possible if I can dream of it and work for it. I have the power to be a light in the darkness, to be the person I wish to become.

Being alone can become solitude; it can bring individuality and strength, and that’s a gift.