On Solitude

People say they want peace and quiet. Then when it is thrown in their lap, they panic. They don’t know how to be alone. They are afraid to confront their “shadow side,” the hard truths about themselves that they don’t like. They fill their lives with noise to run away from their emotions. Life isn’t meant to be rushed. Use this time to get to know yourself.

– Sister Mary Catharine Perry

Stuff to think about. A lesson from a Dominican nun.

I never wanted to be a nun. For many reasons. But the idea of this kind of solitude gets more and more appealing as I get older. There have been many days when I have wished I lived alone again. Stuff would stay where I left it. There wouldn’t be ink stains on the banister and beard hairs in the sink. I could binge tv all day on Saturdays and eat popcorn and cut up veggies for dinner during the week while I work late.

HOWEVER, I wouldn’t have the companionship and love that I have now. I wouldn’t be working in a partnership with Tim. And where would Mae be? She might be in a good, safe home, but then again, she might not. And if that were the case, I certainly would not have the joy of watching her grow from a little baby with a bad cold/infection into the amazing girl she is right now. And I don’t think I’d trade that for anything.

This imposed family time is precious. I do not miss running around to appointments and errands and meetings and school activities. I appreciate the extra time I have to spend with my daughter and to work on home projects. (Seriously, who is with me on the home projects? Those closets and drawers that need reorganizing and purging? Sing it, sisters!)

What is the joy you can find from your current circumstance during this quarantine?