Solitude: Our Little Home At The Beach

Camellia Flowers Blooming Along Our Walkway

"Solitude is the only acceptable form of Selfishness."

--Anna Quindlen--

Welcome to Our Little Home at the Beach!

Typically, I'm a pretty extroverted person. Or maybe I'm more of an 'ambivert', as the Myers-Briggs suggested during my senior year of college. I tend to be energized by socializing, and seek out social engagement as much as I possibly can, even when I'm homebound. 

Such a Cute Little House!

Here at the beach, though, I've found myself craving solitude. 

While Out On a StRoll I Took This Photo of the Backside of the House and Golf Course

We've been here a month now and I'm still enjoying the quiet. 

I'm not lonely.

 I'm not missing lots of socializing.

View Out of My Bedroom and the Living Room

At home, I became increasingly tied to my iDevices, as most of us are--checking my phone immediately upon waking, texting friends late at night. I was also just very busy given my energy level--having appointments every day, working to plan our 20th High School Reunion, trying to engage in more social events to meet people, etc.

More of the View From the Back Porch

Here, I've been putting my phone in airplane mode at night so that I can't check it when I wake up to pee at night or when my alarm goes off! I'm turning off the ringer earlier so that I can listen to my audiobook uninterrupted. 

Kitchen and Living Area

I get that all of life can't be lived in vacation mode, but I do think certain practices cultivated during my time here are ones to keep upon returning to the daily grind at home. 

Living Area

Instead of emailing and texting, I've taken a moment to write a piece of snail mail if I want to reach out. 

Dining Room, Where I've Felt Well Enough to SIT UP for Lunch and Dinner EVERY DAY!

I feel a little guilty about being less available, less frequent about checking in on my friends, and being more 'me' focused. I've mentioned before that I feel guilty about even having the opportunity for this six weeks here at the beach.

Screened In Porch--Mostly It's Been Too Cold to Enjoy It!

When I woke up today, I was feeling a little blue--it's gray and dreary today, I didn't sleep well, and I'm not feeling very well. Even here at the beach I get sick and tired of being sick and tired!

I checked in on a friend's blog, where I read her statements of personal growth including:

Never Justify My Decisions to Anyone Else

My Bedroom (and the Puppies too!)

I'm a 'justifier'. Constantly. And it's exhausting. 

Mom's Bedroom

While here at the beach, I've been trying to stop justifying and simply appreciate this gift of six weeks of solitude. I heard Anna Quindlen's quote just as we were beginning our vacation here. Good timing, eh? 

Upon hearing it, I knew that this time of solitude here at the beach is to be fiercely guarded and protected.

And that is just what I have done.

Guest Bedroom

And what a wonderful place to seek solitude. 

I am posting some photos of our little home here at the beach that I took as well as photos from the VRBO website. 

The Street. Our House is On the Left.

We had no idea if the home we chose online would be as it was pictured, but it was! We love everything about the place we chose. It's just the right size, warmly and restfully decorated, clean, and very comfortable (yay for a super mattress!). Other than bringing in a rented recliner, which was an expensive but very worthwhile decision (I'm in it right now as I type this!), the house was exactly what we needed and wanted.

We Love it Here

We have loved our time here so much, that we have decided to come back next year for six weeks! We just missed out on booking this same place again, but found a condo in this development. Our hearts are with this place though, and we hope we'll be back. 2016 maybe? :)

Right now, in this moment, we have two more weeks of solitude here.

"And don't we all, with fierce hunger, crave a cave of solitude, a space of deep listening--full of quiet darkness and stars, until finally we hear a syllable of G-d echoing in the cave of our hearts?"

--Macrina Wiederkehr--

Blessings,

Emily