After visitors or a few days in the company of others I inevitably crave solitude and silence. Nothing against anyone else, mind you, people in my circle are wonderful human beings, but I often much prefer my own company. 

  It gives me time to soak in new impressions, reflect on older ones, and digest the happenings over the last few days. 

  In short, it’s an assimilative and centering process. What meditation was intended to be, I believe, before it became so commodified and portioned into those tiny one hour per week parcels, like yoga. 

  Centredness is not a part time affair. It is not something you carry your party-colored little rolled up spongy mat to once or twice a week for a 45 minute session in an otherwise very busy schedule. It’s a whole Life attitude and practice. 

  Often on my own I stroll over to a park and find a bench beside the water to idly watch the ducks and gulls go about their business. It puts a smile on my face, especially when the sun is blasting down and my bench is comfortably beneath a leafy maple or cottonwood. I sit there and quietly take in my surroundings, the drifting ducks, the odd cormorant hanging amongst them, the gulls screeching, the sparrows at my feet pecking at imperceptible tidbits and the squirrels forever foraging and periodically approaching to see if there’s a crumb or French Fry offered they can spirit off before those nasty gulls claim the prize. 

  And these September days the flower beds scattered about the grounds have begun to droop. The season is growing long in the tooth as the saying goes. Autumn is definitely in the air, though the leaves haven’t begun to change yet. 

  It’s all part of the rhythms of Nature. And we are part of those rhythms too, if we can forget our city selves that is and reconnect with our deepest reality. 

  Aummmm, solitude is not ‘lonely’ when you reawaken to a greater belonging…

  We are all part of a much vaster Whole….