“Since the beginning of the pandemic, Paul Fredette and Karen Karper Fredette have made some changes to their lives: Ms. Fredette stopped attending her local exercise class, and the couple whittled their interactions with their neighbors down to waves. But in many ways, seclusion comes naturally to them. From a house they call Still Wood, nestled in the slope of a mountain surrounded by hundreds of acres of wild woodlands, the Fredettes live their lives “oriented towards solitude,” which is their preferred way of saying that they’re hermits: devoted to simplicity, silence and prayer. The nearest town, Hot Springs, N.C., is 18 miles away and has a population just under 600….” https://quarxtheories.com/qotw/what-can-we-learn-from-solitude/qotw0103-2/“>[read more]

“Last week, I did something a bit unconventional. The Dutch call it uitwaaien, and it means to take a break in the countryside to clear one’s head or, literally, “to walk in the wind.” I didn’t realize this was what I was doing. I just knew that life was filling me up faster than I could consume it. I was becoming forgetful – and anxious – and sleepless – and maybe just a little bit confused. And all I wanted, more than anything, was to get away. Into nature. Into the mountains beneath the tall, ancient redwood trees. By the wild parts of the ocean where the waves crash fiercely against the weathered rocks. I was craving solitude….”
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“Periods of solitude are vitally important for every human being out there – whether they identify as an introvert or extrovert. Here’s why: Our identities are conglomerates of external projections that we have internalized and confused with ‘self’. When we are around people, we naturally fall prey to our habits of accepting and becoming these projections of others… So much so, that it is quite easy to completely lose sight of the being that lies naked beneath. In solitude, this being has the conditions to emerge – intentionally or not. With solitude often comes immense discomfort – a natural reaction similar to baby skin being exposed to the cold…”
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"Solitude is one of my favorite gatherings. You're only alone if there is too much of you there. So I'll try to leave some of myself behind."