Today I Am Grateful For ... #29

Alone time.

When I was a nanny I used to give my kids time-outs as needed. D was a pretty active child and hated being away from people so time out for him was really bad. B was very inquisitive and liked to look at things so his time-outs were done with his nose in a corner so he could not see anything, torture to him. I did not have to give these kids time-out often because frankly they were pretty good kids. My point of this story is that I am not so very different from them. I really like to be around people and I enjoy an active room where there is a lot to do and people to talk to.

That being said, there is something awesome about spending all day alone away from people. I really like alone time where it is quiet and I do not have to spend any energy on anyone else if I do not want to. For this reason I am planning a trip alone (I promised my mom that I would check in often via text message so she did not worry about me and I have my GPS so I do not get lost!) I want to take a few days (and this will be at the end of summer) alone to just get focused again on me. To take time to read a book and relax. I am grateful for alone time!

This last Sunday I was asked to read a story about Thoreau. What an amazing account of spending alone time to find simplicity in ones life.

"It was in March of 1845 that Thoreau decided to move out on the banks of Walden Pond and spend two years trying to figure out what life was all about. He settled on a piece of property owned by his good friend Ralph Waldo Emerson. He purchased an old shanty from a railroad worker, and tore it down. From the lumber from the shanty and the lumber from the woods, he constructed his own cabin. He kept meticulous financial records, and he concluded that for a home and freedom he spent a mere $28.12. He planted a garden, where he sowed peas, potatoes, corn, beans, and turnips to help sustain his simple life. He planted two and a half acres of beans with the intent of using the small profit to cover his needs. Small profit indeed: $8.71.

Thoreau lived quite independent of time. He had neither a clock nor a calendar in his little cabin. He spent his time writing and studying the beauties and wonder of nature that surrounded him, including local plants, birds, and animals. He did not live the life of a hermit—he visited the town of Concord most days, and he invited others to come into his cabin for enlightening conversations. When the two years ended, he left his cabin behind without regret. He considered the time he had spent there a proper amount of time to accomplish his purpose—to experience the spiritual benefits of a simplified lifestyle. He also felt he had other life experiences ahead of him. It was time to move on and explore other opportunities.

From his experiences at Walden Pond, Thoreau determined that there were only four things that a man really needed: food, clothing, shelter, and fuel. I would like to expand on each of these four basic needs of life, as well as the spiritual benefits of a simplified lifestyle."