Saturday

Yes, it's Saturday. A chance for rest and recuperation. Well. That's the theory, anyway.

I try to use Saturdays for a rest; to give myself a treat. It does you good, sometimes. It makes you feel valued, even if no one else appreciates you.

So, this afternoon, with my son out with a friend and my wife and daughter working, I get the house all to myself. It's a wonderful treat, a feeling of being able to relax and do what I want to do. Not that I don't appreciate having my family around, or any other company, for that matter. It's just nice to have some time to yourself. It's time to consolidate your thoughts and feelings.

I said that keeping a journal is a great way to ease the pressure and unwind. Another tool that helps me relax is my personal time. Everybody needs it. Everyone needs some solitude. That's why so many people feel lonely, even though they are surrounded by other people. For example, I read, some years ago, about "high rise flats syndrome." It's where people in apartment blocks feel a terrible lonliness despite being surrounded by other people. The sounds of life going on around them only add to the lonely feeling. It can even happen in a family home. You can have so many people around you that you have no time for yourself.

Of course, there's the other side of the coin, too. There are those who are afraid of being alone. They have to have some form of company; TV, music, pets, anything so that they are not alone. In company, when things get quiet, say, for example, on a journey, they start singing or whistling, often tunelessly. It's often because they are afraid of their own thoughts. They aren't comfortable with what is going on in their minds. They crave conversation, just so that they can switch off the incessant ramblings of their tortured existence. Sadly, they never come to terms with life. They just sit there and rot.

Me, I love solitude. Not excessive aloneness, just enough to here myself think. So, what am I doing here when I have such a wonderful opportunity? I'm thinking. I'm alone with my thoughts. I'm communing with my emotions and communicating with my senses.

And, if you're reading this, then I am not alone!