What are some of the things you like best about solitude?

[dixiegrrrrl]

The really important aspects of being/living alone ( or with someone else with whom you can be in your own space -a LOT)?

since I have retired, un-interrrupted hours are my greatest pleasure...no "have to's," as a rule.
No schedules, freedom to read and think without time pressures.

You.....?

[rrneck]

1. The quiet. My quiet. im no longer a

tuning fork for every idiot with a ball peterc hammer.

[knowbody0]

2. the stillness

occasionally, I turn the circuit breaker off so the hum of electricity stops as well. almost nirvana

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Where I am, almost all the time, all I hear is the ticking of the clocks.

and sounds of birds around the house.
I think that is one of the reasons I do not even play much music..the silence is so preferable.

[bemildred]

4. It's safe and quiet and you can read and think hard without being distracted.

Once the light show in my head turned on as a kid, it was always the highest prioriity. The real secret of life is when you realize that "work" can be a lot more fun than "fun".

[MadrasT]

5. No negotiating

No negotiating with anyone else about how I use my time or what to eat for dinner or what to watch on teevee or anything else.

I get to do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it.

And perfect silence whenever I want or need it.

*awesome*

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Shhhh. be careful, or everyone will want one!!!!!!

Seriously, ain't it grand?

[Tumbulu]

7. quiet and quiet

once about 33 years ago I spent two weeks spinning and weaving in solitude and only left my house to get groceries and to take my dog on walks. It was heavenly.

I just found this group- how nice!

[shanti]

8. yes

i'm a spinner too (and knitter), also in nor cal and retired. i spend much of my time with these hobbies, sometimes not leaving the house for 5 days at a time. i do have to remember to get up and get some exercise on my treadmill and bicycle though....

[Tumbulu]

9. It is a special thing to be able to be quiet

and productive at the same time.....


what do you like to spin?

[shanti]

10. many types of fiber

i've knit for many years, but i've only been spinning for a couple of years, and really enjoy it. mostly i spin prepared roving, but have a few bags of wool that i purchased raw and washed myself. i've tried silk and bamboo fiber too, that can be fun. never spun cotton or flax though.

and you?

[Tumbulu]

11. I have spun everything- started when I was 12 yrs old

and am now in my late 50's.

I even used to teach spinning. I am a big advocate of using prepared sliver and roving. I spin as a form of meditation and prayer. I like to feel the fibers go through my hands, the better prepared, the better for me.

I raise colored merino sheep (~150 of them) and I do ridiculous things like buy fleeces from friends and have them made into roving for my daughter and her friends so that their spinning learning experiences are positive. Merino, however well prepared, is hard for beginners. Flax is very fun to spin, but with the distaff and water and all, it really requires a different set up.

Even though I am a fiber producer, I love buying fibers to spin that are from others in our area. It is so fun and really a pleasure. Nice to meet you and enjoy!

[LWolf]

12. Nobody is trying to get my attention.

No people who, uncomfortable with quiet, keep trying to fill it. No one interrupting whatever is going on in my head because, since I'm not talking, I must be available for whatever they need.

No gnats.

Edited to add: As long as I turn off the phone, of course. I can't leave it off for too long, though, or someone will show up to find out why I'm not answering, assuming that something's wrong.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. "uncomfortable with quiet"

That IS amazing, isn't it?
took me way too long to realize that a LOT of people cannot bear the sound of solitude.

One of the things that endeared me to Chris Hedges was he mentioned he has no tv or radio, that he spends at least 4 hours a day reading.
Valuing the comtemplative life....worth all the "tradeoffs" to me.

btw..I have managed to train the people in this area to accept talking to the answering machine, and I leave the volume on mute...works a treat.

[jp11]

14. The same.

I like not having to entertain people or have conversations about things I don't want to talk about or be 'on demand' for other's desires/etc.

What I want to do I do, what I don't want to do I don't do, or do later when I feel like doing.

I value the quiet but it isn't so much the lack of sound I demand, though it can be fantastic, it is the lack of another person/people that often gets to me.

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. Perhaps that is the attraction of computers/internet..

We can "talk" online on our own schedule, for the most part.

[Trunk Monkey]

16. I have the ultimate loner job

I work as a security guard for the city on what is known as a “remote site” this means that 9 months a year I am alone most of my work day. I can go literally week w/out seeing anyone but they guy I relieve and the guy that relieves me.

My favorite part of the day is walking up on a hill on site and just sitting there for hours watching the traffic on the road (Half mile away) or reading a book. Still doing my job because I can see almost the entire site.

The stillness gets into your soul.

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. Totally understand.

I value people who are not afraid to be alone with their thoughts,
who are not only comfotable being in their own skin but NEED that quite time to do so.
There are more of us than I thought..tis a good thing.

[no_hypocrisy]

18. I had a great job like yours.

Midnight shift for an answering service. Loved it!

Watched AMC movies all night, answered an occasional call, no coworkers, quiet.

It was heaven.

[Trunk Monkey]

19. I've actually had this particular job twice

I quit once for four months but now I'm back and they're going to have to blow me off that hill.

[RC]

20. Being alone in the quiet.

My SO works and I am retired. So I usually have all day alone. I have a hearing problem stemming from the Navy and that helps. Without my hearing aids, it is peacefully quiet. Usually no TV, no radio, no music, just the quiet, till she gets home. Some TV in the evenings. She has her sewing and I have my computers. 4 now counting the laptop I just bought her. I waiting for next Summer for Google Fiber.
I can make use of the speed, because I have two web sites and a photo site to play with. Plus my camera and photo software to keep me busy.
Oh, and Google is my knowledgeable friend!

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. I so agree with you about the quiet.

I have the whole house to myself all day long, and rarely listen to my music ( which is a shame, I have some great jazz and etc)
but I value the quiet so much more.
Having enough time and space to be alone with one's thoughts is so necessary to the quality of life, don't you find?

[RC]

22. Yes, as do me.

I find talking from the TV, radio, the next room, or lyrics in music a distraction. I find I want to listen (or try to) and have trouble putting my thought down when composing my "prose". What are they talking about? Might I learn somethin'?
Instrumentals are fine, but please, no voices. But overall, quiet is normally better.

However... I do like good music with a beat, a beat you can unmistakably hear and not have to process to discern.

[Trunk Monkey]

23. The sounds of silence

One of my biggest peeves is people I don’t know interjecting themselves into my life, that’s one of the reasons I never wear clothing with any kind of logo on it, people see the logo as an invitation to comment. In my mind one of best things about solitude is not have to put up with those people.

One of my favorite memories from childhood was the Swanson Public Library in Omaha Nebraska. I remember my mom taking us there as kids and it was so quiet (this was back when silence in a library was expected) you could hear the lights hum.

Late in the afternoon at work, when I’m the only one there it gets that quiet and I love it.