When Was the Last Time You Spent Time Alone?

As a few of my friends have been travelling to far off destinations where passports and jet lag are certainties; words are lost in translation; and epic photographs are being taken of landscapes that can only be described as pastoral paintings brought to the digital age, I am staying within the confines of my beautiful province.
Now I have to admit I wore a shade of green when they told me about their travel plans to Europe- I've always wanted to go. However after four glorious, sun filled days here in Shuswap, my shade of green has dissipated for now. For right now I do believe this will be my second summer highlight (first was our anniversary celebrations)

During these four days I spent time in perfect solitude- me, myself and Triggs. Besides a few play sessions and feeding the dog you would never know I had one, as he slept most of the time (granted with a fur coat and the average temp of 32 degrees, I think I'd sleep too).

When Scott suggested I stay at the cabin after our "anniversarymoon" by myself to really enjoy a whole week at the cabin I immediately said "yes".  The next day as I watched his truck drive away I had a slight twinge of regret. What was I thinking? Stay at the cabin all by myself with no one in sight? With no vehicle or real access to emergancy services I had to admit I became a little shaken. What if an animal attacked me or Triggs? What if I ran out of supplies or heaven forbid WINE? What if I got bored or lonely? Then I looked out at the gorgeous view of lake and took a deep breath; I'd be fine.

At first I was also unsure how I'd handle this much time alone without another person to talk to.  I haven't had this much time to myself since my single summer days back in 2008, and even then I had close friends to chat with on the phone for hours. Up at the cabin cell service can be tricky and also expensive. We also don't have WiFi or a TV, so entertainment was limited to reading, listening to the radio, or just relaxing.  Now I will admit I could hook up to 3G on my phone so I'd dabble on FB for a bit, but not as much as I normally do.

But before I knew it time was flying by, and in the end the isolation and quiet, without real distractions, had a profound affect on me.  I found that I wasn't stressed in the least, even when there was evidently a large animal in the bush the second night here. Triggs barked at it from the deck and it took off, so I now know I had some tough security. My sleeping habits returned to normal, and I found myself eating less. I discovered that a walk to the beach and a swim was more than enough cardio.

So how did I pass my time? For me time at the lake had no meaning.  By myself I could truly listen to my body rhythms.  I'd simply ask myself what I wanted to do and I did it.  Besides reading a lot of Cottage magazines, and a novel, I got in the habit of actually watching the wildlife right out my front
door- birds collecting twigs and such off the ground; squirrels gathering pinecones and chattering at Triggs; and a doe cooling in the shade of the fire hall across the street.  By the end of day four I knew the time by the sun.  I pondered questions about the universe and nature.

can you spot the deer?

My biggest pastime at the cabin was writing.  When summer started I went gung-ho with
writing my novel again after a break.  When I read it cover to cover I soon found myself falling out of love with my book baby.  I hated it; I almost deleted it. Luckily I held off and with no distractions and the mountain air I found my muse and writing groove again. If it wasn't for being at the lake then who knows what might have become of my 102,978 word -baby?

Another neat thing about staying here alone was that I could wear what I liked without judgement. The only down side to that was when an occasional visitor popped by to check on me.  I was a tiny bit embarrassed about wearing PJ pants, a tank top, a pair of socks with crocks in the early evening.  But I just pretended that was normal, as hey, I'm at the lake, which means no fashion police! I'm free as a bird!

Now that I'm home again I've realized this experience was one that everyone should try- spending more than 48 hrs alone, without access to the digital world.  Unplug and listen instead to the wind and patterns of everyday life.  It makes you appreciate how wonderful the world is around you.  More importantly it allows you to get to know yourself.  You can find clarity in your thoughts and hopefully come to some epiphanies.  I know I had a few, but I'll keep them to myself for now.

Just imagine going on vacation alone.... how would you spend your time?