A Hermit in the Foothills

I am a hermit.

I don't get lonely when I am alone.

I am perfectly happy going a full day without speaking to another human being.

I travel alone, laugh alone, and see breathtaking sights alone.

I don't hear the answers form others, I hear them in the wind.

I have no desire to be surrounded by a sea of people when I can let the waters surround me.

The language of the ocean, not that of humans, comforts me.

The holiness of a setting sun reaffirms what I already know.....nothing.

Feeling my heartbeat synchronize to that of an ancient stone exhilarates me.

The roots of trees ground me.

When I choose to spend time with people, it's not because I need to. It's because I want to.

I am selective in my relationships.

I live a full life, and the people in it are rare creatures that I have carefully selected and treasure. And those rare creatures have selected me. As part of that selection, a clear understanding of freedom has developed. Freedom to me means the ability to fly without expectations, obligations, or judgement. And these rare creatures that have collided with my path honor my definition of freedom just as I honor theirs. And that is why our webs will be forever entangled....even if I fly for months, years, and decades at a time without landing on their homestead, they feel my vibrations in their web. And that is enough.

One of my personal truths that I recently became fully comfortable with is the idea of being alone by choice. I do not live a solitary life, but I do prefer a life that allows me to spend more time with the trees and my breath rather than my fellow humans. I'd much rather follow the seducing pulls of a new adventure than a new lover. And to the disappointment and shock of society, I am okay with that.

I can't predict the future nor would I want to. Maybe one day my world will collide with someone who spreads their wings as often as I do and we'll fly to distant lands together as well as comfortably apart. And if the blissful collision occurs, will I want it? I don't know.

I am a tangled mess. The past few years have uncovered knots that I never knew existed. And as I slowly untangle this beautiful mess, I feel so much gratitude. I am so grateful that I can see the knots and tangles. There are many so terrified of their mess that they shove it in a corner and live their whole lives denying it's there.

I am grateful to have untangled my "solitary" knot. And not only have I untangled it, but it's now beautifully woven into my feathers.

Cheers to untangling those knots!