SOLITUDE, SELF-CARE AND INTEGRATION
~Paul Ferrini, The Silence of the Heart

SOLITUDE is a state of being.
It is the result of caring for yourself and honoring who you are.
It is the result of making room for activities that you enjoy and
relationships that respect your boundaries.

When you live alone you can find a way to
care for your body,
feel your feelings
and express your creativity.

You can live in a place that inspires you.
You can find quiet time to center yourself.
You can walk in the woods or by the ocean.
You can work at something you enjoy doing.
You can be joyful, eat well, sleep well,
refine the quality of your life.

In short, you can care about yourself.

SOLITUDE is necessary for your emotional health,
whether you are living alone or living with another.
SOLITUDE gives you the time and space to integrate your experience.

Having lots of experiences means nothing if you do not take the time to learn from them.
Jumping from activity to activity or relationship to relationship wreaks havoc on your emotional core.
The time you take to integrate your experience is as important as the time you take
to have the experience itself...

Every breath you take has three movements: an inhalation, a pause and an exhalation.
The inhalation is for the taking in of experience.
The pause is for its assimilation.
and the exhalation is for the release of experience.
While the pause is just a second or two, it is essential for the integrity of the breath.

SOLITUDE allows you to pause.
The quality of your life depends upon it.
Your energy and enthusiasm arise from it.

If you drop out this part, your life will be an empty shell.
A great deal may pass in and out of it.
But nothing will stick.
There will be no assimilation of experience or growth of consciousness.

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