Frolic in Solitude
One of the churches I attended in Tucson a few years ago held an outing called "Mountain Solitude." For this excursion, we would meet early in the morning on a Sunday in the parking lot of the church (our services started at 5pm on Sundays, so it didn't conflict) and then drive up the Catalina Mountains together. I often wanted to escape the desert to see trees and water up the mountains, but I get scared driving on them, so it was a blessing to go in a group with someone else driving.
The group usually consisted of only a few people. The purpose of this once a month trip was, once we arrived at a stop off place up the mountain, to spend alone time in prayer, journaling, or writing songs or poems. We would split up to walk around or find a spot to sit alone.
Especially when living in a city, in a large family, and busy with school, work or the general daily life chaos, it is easy to let our moments be filled with noise and busyness. Taking time to step outside of that rhythm to surround myself with quiet and nature's beauty was important for my sense of balance. As a Christian, it afforded me some time to talk to God about things in my life without interruption or be still enough to listen to Him.
I encourage the mighty few who read this, to be intentional about allowing some room in your life to slip into a quieter rhythm, even if it is for one morning a month. Some of the people who traveled up the mountain with us had families with children so one month the wife would go up the mountain while the husband stayed home with the kids and the next month, they would switch.
One Sunday, my little brother, 13 at the time (I'm 11.5 years older), came up the mountain with us. At first I tried to get us to split up and spend time alone as we were instructed, but he kept sidling next to me after a few minutes to talk or show me something. I felt a little guilty that we were talking when we were up there for "solitude" but then it seemed like God was nudging me to take advantage of this time and enjoy being with my brother on this beautiful mountain.
That was such a fun morning because we talked about silly and important things, listened to the forest, threw stones over a cliff, found interesting pine needle branches and waved them in each other's faces. It is one of my favorite moments from all my years in Tucson. I think we both needed time away to be quiet, TOGETHER, enjoying nature out of the city and being happy experiencing a new adventure as siblings.
So, even if you aren't completely alone, take some time outside of the normal day's structure to find a quiet place. Enjoy walking through a national park or a local garden with a friend, sit quietly in your bedroom to journal for 30 minutes, go with your spouse or sibling to a library and spend the afternoon reading the magazines, or drive up a mountain alone to see a new vista. Go with the express purpose of letting your mind, crowded by noise and chaos, expand and rest a little, to contemplate the life questions you are normally too busy to address, or to be still and listen to the quiet.
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