I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.
  —Henry David Thoreau

One of the greatest gifts of our lives is the ability to enjoy solitude. Many of us are unable to enjoy this gift. We are too busy - busy with work, with friends, with entertainment.

When we slow down, we find out we can feel peaceful when we are alone. For most of us, solitude is ordinary - we each find our private place and take up our favorite activities: fishing, sewing, writing, building models, and making pictures. These simple activities are so much fun it's hard to figure out why it took us so long to calm down and enjoy them.

Our dreams may be quite ordinary. We can learn how to find them.

What ordinary activities have I been putting off because I think I'm too busy?

From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©1985, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.

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