HOT DAMN #20 – Being Okay With Being Alone

LIFE’S WONDERS PRAISED IN SUGGESTIVE, ODDBALL, AND NONSENSE WAYS

As a counterpoint to my usual cynical antics, I’ve committed myself to a weekly, year-long discussion of my life’s joys.  But, never one for the more traditional approaches, I intend to keep things a little off side, a tad outlandish, and always one foot outside of polite company.

//BEING OKAY WITH BEING ALONE//

Let’s start this right.

And by start this right I mean let’s start this by quoting Miley Cyrus.

The tongue wagging pop star recently told TIME Magazine that she has no qualms with being single. “I don’t know that my mother would have been able to be 22 and secure in being alone,” she said, “but my future doesn’t rely on having a partner.”

And to that I say, bang on!

Sad man makes sad face.

But let’s take it one step further. Miley Cyrus was talking about being romantically alone. What about just being alone in general?

I mean, right now, you probably aren’t reading this with an entourage looking over your shoulder (not that, in your case, an entourage wouldn’t be justified). You might say, I suppose, that there’s two of us here – you and me. But really it’s just you. Right now, in this moment, you’re alone.

Being alone is difficult. In some ways it’s an act of bravery. After all, it’s not something that comes naturally. Remember that at the very beginning of your life you were not alone. At that precise moment in time when a cell divided and what was once something else became wholly you, you had your mother there to pull you into the world. In the beginning you had someone with you.

As a species we depend on each other to survive. If we stick to ourselves, then we die out, sad to say. Sure, once upon a time, we humans were fairly self-sufficient; some could even survive completely on their own. But now? Ha! Case in point: a year ago when my basement flooded I called my dad for help. Had I not been able to call on him, my only recourse would have been to put on swim trunks and try to embrace the idea of a new indoor pool.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Because it’s important to take time to be alone.

Yes, we need others in our lives, but sometimes it’s also important that those others bugger off for a little while. Think about it: being alone lets us decompress, lets us build ourselves, lets us discover who we are within ourselves and not through other people.

And that’s important. At some point you’ve got to figure this life thing out for yourself, so you might as well do it like the boss you are. Don’t listen to what others say. You are the champ!

So go discover yourself, whether that means being single for a while or just going to see a movie on your own every now and then. It’ll do you good – trust me.

Also, am I the only one who just loves him some old school Miley Cyrus? “See You Again,” am I right?

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Did you miss last week’s entry on BABY WIPES?  Catch up here.

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