There is a difference between solitude and isolation. One continuing impact of covid is that many of us remain isolated - disconnected or only tangentially related to the living breathing community of "our" people. Solitude is a blessing. Isolation can make us ill.
Photo: © Ann Cahill - County Clare, Ireland - 2007
From Blessed John O'Donohue....
Solitude is one of the most precious things in the human spirit. It is different from loneliness. When you are lonely, you become acutely conscious of your own separation. Solitude can be a homecoming to your own deepest belonging. One of the lovely things about us as individuals is the incommensurable in us. In each person, there is a point of absolute nonconnection with everything else and with everyone. This is fascinating and frightening. It means that we cannot continue to seek outside ourselves for things we need from within. The blessings for which we hunger are not to be found in other places or people. These gifts can only be given to you by yourself. They are at home at the hearth of your soul.
Excerpt from his book, Anam Cara, 25th Anniversary Edition. Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/anam-cara
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