2008-01-24 - 10:21 p.m.
Actually, I've been wanting to write this since a couple of days ago. Yes, January 22nd was also my best friend Tiger's 22nd birthday. I've also planned to send him a cute e-card like the one he sent me last year on my...um, 26th birthday. (Fyi, I hate feeling old and also to be reminded of that clearly unavoidable fact!)
However, the plan just didn't go well. As ridiculous as it may sound to you, I didn't have the time. (Of course, eventhough I'm technically still jobless now, I still help around in my family's catering business.) In the end, I just texted his cellphone, wishing him a happy birthday and that he'd grow wiser. Typical. Cliche, but at least he knew that I still remembered and cared. He replied my text message, saying thanks and hoping that we could catch up with each other's latest news soon enough. I supposed that he was still busy.
At times, like this, I miss being alone. No, please don't get me wrong. That doesn't mean I don't need anybody else around me. We know that connecting ourselves to other people is very important. However, it's also important to have our solitary moments as well. Some of us like to call that our "me-times". It's those times when we (get to) have our break from the world, only to indulge ourselves in our favourite activities/hobbies --- or even just to relax for a while. Our religious sides also long to use such rare times (especially these days) to pray and get 'closer and more personal' to God --- completely uninterrupted by distractive mortal noises. Our solitary moments can also be good for us to truly reflect on our inner-selves --- and not just through other people's eyes.
Some of us may say, "There's no way that I can ever really be alone. I can't live without other people." True, we still do need them. But, is it that possible for us to get stuck with them 24/7, including having to hear their endless complaints and demands for attention? I believe there are times when we just want to escape and disappear for a while, only to be able to listen to our own voices within. That doesn't necessarily mean we want to forever exclude ourselves from other people and become anti-socials. No, because we can always rejoin the crowd when we're feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and --- more importantly --- ready for the world all over again. After all, we need balance.
Not just for today, we must remain grateful of our times with other people (especially friends and loved ones) as well as with just ourselves. Why? We can still make our solitary times feel less like lonely times by doing positive things to make ourselves (still) feel happy. Then maybe (and hopefully), we can tell ourselves, "I'm alone for now, but not lonely. This is just my temporary escapade from the world. I'll be back soon."
The Author
