Recently, I received an email from an author. The author had written a couple of books that I had read. The subject was interesting enough that I took a class from the author about a year or so ago and he keeps in touch every now and then with folks who have taken his class.
In reading the author's email, I stumbled upon an interesting article published in the Boston Globe:
The Power Of Lonely (may require registration to read the article)
In this article, the author surmises that certain tasks and though processes are better done ALONE than other people around. In fact, the article suggests that the most developed personalities and leaders are the people who devote the appropriate time to taking some solitude for themselves.
How this applies to myself? I was a pretty shy and introverted kid during my early school years though I improved as I went through high school and college. It wasn't that I didn't talk to anyone. It's just that I talked to people I felt comfortable with but I didn't particularly branch out much. Especially during my years leading into high school, I didn't have a lot of hang out friends.
Thanks to an old friend from high school, I broke the mold and she became one of my early friends that I hung out with and talked to a lot (though that friendship has since faded into the sunset). It was from this friend that I met some people that are still my friends today. With a few of the friends, we don't hang out as much as we used to because they have families and other things to concern themselves with.
The thing that has changed is that I am now much more of an extrovert. I find myself curious about everyone I meet and I could hold a conversation on just about anything if given a chance. So while some of my older friends are busy, I have simply branched out to other folks and life goes on. The best example was during my birthday a few weeks ago. I was out with no less than three groups of friends (with some friends crossing over into more than one group).
I've got a reputation among some friends that I like to talk a lot. It's a reputation that I've earned because in the past I have spent a ton of time with my friends on the phone (and still do with some people). But as I have gotten older, I don't feel I need to talk to my friends as much.
I also need that ALONE TIME that is mentioned in the article above. With this alone time, I do a great many things. I read, I mediate, I write/blog, I take photos or just do whatever comes to mind. I think this may surprise people for my reputation among my more recent friends is being a talker, basketball / sports person and or just a very socially active person. All of this is true to a certain extent.
However, I am easily comfortable with being alone and going off to do whatever I want to do myself. It's been a while since I've done so but I have seen movies alone previously. Since I am currently unemployed, I may hit up some movies that have come out recently.
Everyone should take some away time for themselves. I understand this more than I did when I was younger. It's very beneficial and something you should work into your life schedule.
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