Bloganuary Day 27: The end is nigh

Where do you go when you need solitude?

We live in a decent-sized house with a fair bit of land attached, so I wouldn’t need to go far to find physical solitude if I really wanted to. It must be said that this has been quite a boon during the various lockdowns of the last couple of years.

That doesn’t mean that I actually need solitude, it’s just a reflection of the fact that I don’t mind my own company. I don’t get stressed about being alone, as long as there is some light at the end of the tunnel. I imaging solitary confinement for life without parole would be a bit of an ask, but an afternoon or a day with nobody else about doesn’t faze me.

Nor does it mean that I’m anti-social: I mean, I am, but not because I crave solitude. Society’s all very well, apart from the other people.

However, if I have some essential household tasks to perform – like stacking logs for example, or taking the hedge-trimmer to some recalcitrant brambles – I much prefer to do it on my own: just buckle down and get on with it.

It’s on those occasions that I reach for my earphones, crank up the volume on my mobile (ignoring as far as possible its prissy complaints that it’s been on too loud for too long) and enter a solitary world of my own while I plug away at the task in hand.

Essentially therefore, when I want solitude I just retreat into my own head. I’m reliably informed that nobody else would want to be there anyway.