Put your phone away.
Get bored on purpose.
Eliminate distractions.
Be a conscious observer.
Take in the world as it is.
Bring back the Huh.
Resurrect the Why.
Think thoughts.
Sit alone with them.
Then think thoughts about those thoughts.
And repeat.
Forever.
Never stop.
There are a lot of places to turn to for inspiration about how to enjoy solitude, what to do taking in one’s surroundings while walking, and understanding the difference between alone and lonely. Here are just a few recommendations for inspiration:
Solitude
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
– Henry David Thoreau
- Solitude chapter in Walden by Henry David Thoreau
- You can read the entire book online here too!
- Henry David Thoreau Quotations: Solitude
Creative work needs solitude. It needs concentration, without interruptions. It needs the whole sky to fly in, and no eye watching until it comes to that certainty which it aspires to, but does not necessarily have at once. Privacy, then. A place apart — to pace, to chew pencils, to scribble and erase and scribble again.
– Mary Oliver
Walking
- On Looking, Eleven Walks With Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz
- Austin Kleon’s blog archives on Walking
- Stepping Out by David Sedaris
Lonely vs. Alone
A main and essential difference between “lonely” and “alone” is that you “feel lonely” and you “are alone”. More exactly, “lonely” is a feeling, whereas “alone” is a state of being. “Lonely” is the feeling of sadness caused by not having someone around, while “alone” defines exactly the condition of actually not having someone around.
– Marius Alza, Grammarly
- In celebration of being along by not lonely, a TED Talk playlist
- Why You Should Find Time to Be Alone With Yourself
Here’s to staying bored…on purpose!