It all started in the morning when we saw a man (probably in his 60s) sitting on the beach by himself. When I saw him I thought, "Aww, he's on the beach all alone." He had a book, but he really just seemed to enjoy sitting there looking out at the ocean. In the afternoon, I saw another younger guy sitting on the beach by himself. He didn't seem to have anything with him to do, since I just saw him sitting there looking out at the water. Again, I was thinking about why he was there all alone and wondering if he had anyone in town to go to the beach with. It made em think of Sex and the City episode where Samantha is supposed to meet the salsa club owner out at a restaurant and he stands her up. Carrie has some quote in the voiceover about Samantha not having any of her "dining alone armor" with her.
I got to thinking, though...WHY did I feel bad for these two guys sitting on the beach by themselves? Why do I feel bad for people that are at a restaurant by themselves? Or talking a walk by themselves? What is my problem with people doing things by themselves?
It could stem from my fear of ending up alone, but then I started to think, are we really ever truly alone? God is always with us, so even when another human being isn't there, I don't think we are ever alone. In fact, spending time alone on the beach would be the PERFECT way to spend time with God. It's hard to spend time with God truly alone with all the distracts at home (friends, TV, things to do at home, etc.), so maybe these "lonely" guys are on to something!
I've decided I'm going to challenge myself to do something by myself at least twice a month with no other distractions. Whether it be dining alone without a book or going to park and sitting on a bench for a while, I want to spend time by myself to help me better focus on God. I'm also not going to feel bad for people that are alone out and about. I'll never know their reasons for being alone, but it could be something that is beneficial to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment