Dear Friend,
On Sunday my family spent the day enjoying good weather. They walked by the shore, went shopping, and had a delicious dinner. I wasn’t with them.
You see, I believe in spending quality time with my loved ones. And I do it as much as I can. But today I chose to be alone, and my wife let me.
Being alone once in a while is important. It can change your perspective on things. And if you are alone all of the time, you should make a special effort to spend time around those you care for. Change of environment is important for perspective. There are times that I form an opinion on something, and I’m confident in that opinion. Then, after an abrupt change of environment, everything looks different, and I am no longer so certain. Or uncertainty turns to confidence.
Changing your surroundings can change the character of the world around you, and you with it. So I try to do this as much as I can.
Being alone in particular is important because it forces you to come face to face with you. It is through being alone that you can begin to accept all aspects of you, the good and the not so good. When you are with others you will tend to emphasize your “public” face. This is those aspects of your persona that you believe others will like the most. But when you are alone, you can, if you choose, dare to begin to examine those aspects of you that you keep hidden from others.
Self-actualization requires that we embrace without judgment all aspects of our true self. A fully actualized person is at peace with the world because they are at peace within themselves. At some point in your life you must introduce yourself to your hidden personas. You must accept them as a part of you even if you don’t like them much. You must come to love what you don’t like about yourself, if you get my drift.
I could have spent my day on Sunday getting in touch with my “dark side.” However, I was sleepy so I just took a long nap. That’s good too, don’t ya think?
Sometimes it’s just good to relax. 😉
Wishing you and yours a great week!
Hugh
