from the archives of #MorningCoffee // 30 November 2018

What does it mean to be Alone?

Because, ultimately, Aloneness does not equate to Loneliness.

To be Alone, is it to go home alone at the end of each day? Surely not, when a more accurate word description would be “Single.”

To be Alone, is it to be free from human interaction? Surely not, when a more accurate term is “Isolated.”

If you’re surrounded by a supportive community in your daily life, can you really say that you’re Alone?

What, then, is it to be Alone?

It seems that some of us wear it as a badge of honor, proud of being stronger than most to handle the turbulence of life single-handed.

I might suggest, then, that to be Alone is a mindset. It’s a lifestyle in which your first commitment is to yourself. You travel as the lone wolf, passing through the lives of many, but never joining the pack. You come and go, sometimes so swiftly that some wonder if you were more than a ghost. No commitments, no promises to return. That path you lead is yours, and no one can sway your independent spirit.

Which leads me to wonder: can two who carry the badge of Alone proudly join together in any kind of relationship, as unconventional as it may be?

I believe so. I think when you step away from the confines of convention, two free spirits can remain independent and weave their lives together in a unique way that somehow makes them stronger when united… and still have the freedom to retreat into that space of Alone when they hear it calling.

After all, two negatives make a positive.