Lin Weeks Wilder

Lin Weeks Wilder

Books, Happiness, medical mystery, Work, Writing

Solitude: As Critical As Food

Solitude: As Critical as Food
Solitude: As Critical as Food

Solitude. To some, the word means loneliness, a desperate and solitary state. To others, withdrawing from crowds, conversation and activity can feel as necessary as food. While searching for an image that conveys my current understanding of the concept of solitude, it seemed  the majority of them depicted miserably lonely men and women. While just a few revealed joyous lone individuals amidst a forest or beach.

Which is it?

Is the solitary state something to dread or embrace? There have been times in my life that my new solitude broke my heart as I learned and relearned the art of living alone.  Especially when the decision to be alone was not my own. And found -eventually- that happiness and solitude were not mutually exclusive. In fact, periods of solitude are as necessary for me as are exercise and food. I suspect the same is true for most of us.

Now that we are ending our second week on a cruise ship with 2500 other people, I find myself  withdrawing, speaking less and listening more. A different kind of solitude- more internal than physical.

The population on the cruise ship is close to that of the nearest town at our Nevada home. Therefore, all some of the dramas of individuals are revealed in sometimes very public ways. Like yesterday’s announcement from the captain about a critically ill passenger in need of O negative blood. ‘Could anyone with  a blood donor card please come to the medical area immediately?” His voice conveyed the dire urgency of the need.

Just as I was pondering the unlikelihood of a donor with a blood type possessed by less than ten percent of the population, a couple rushed out to the bank of elevators where I stood. They were obviously distressed. The wife explained, “He has O Negative blood- we are trying to get down to the clinic so he can help!”

The elevators finally came and they disappeared. Ten minutes later on another floor,  a Chinese mother desperately sought her missing toddler. “I turned my head for just a second- she was there and now gone!” Another woman pointed down the hall, “I saw her go that way!” The opposite direction from which the frantic mom was headed.

And as I write, I can hear a woman desperate to reach her company on shore. She has been complaining to the technician for ten minutes about the poor phone service in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Finally, the besieged but patient Princess Cruise technician applies his magic and he gets her through.

Crisis solved.

So many stories, most of them hidden as we head back from Hawaii to the west coast at twenty-five miles an hour.

And a surprise Christmas present for me: The first review of my latest book.

Merry Christmas to you and to your family!

Post Tags :
creativity, duties, happiness, lindsey mccall medical mystery series, telling the truth, writing

0 thoughts on “Solitude: As Critical As Food”

    1. Hi Amy! The trip was magnificent- as is Hawaii! But so very grateful to return home to our quiet lives here in the high desert- Hope you and your reunited family enjoy a 2018 packed with Grace and prosperity! Thanks very much for taking the time to write! Happy New Year!

    1. Glenda- thanks very much for another excellent review! Appreciate your consistent support! May 2018 bring ‘oceans’ of peace and prosperity to you and your family!

  1. Nice to hear that you and John enjoyed a two week cruise to Hawaii. Now to step into a New Year leaving the ocean of the past year behind you. Congratulations on the glowing review of your latest book. May the sales exceed your expectations.

    Solitude is the element in which I thrive and grow. My life flows out from my solitary times.

    Merry Christmas Season and may the year ahead be especially blessed for you and John!

    1. Happy New Year soul sister! We are home again- so grateful for the opportunity of the cruise. And to return to our boys and quiet life here in the high desert!

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Lin Wilder

Lin Wilder has a doctorate in Public Health from the UT Houston with a background in cardiopulmonary physiology, medical ethics, and hospital administration. 

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