mere sojourner

thedailywhat:

Lights Out: Andrea Dorfman’s live-action adaption of Canadian singer-songwriter Tanya Davis’s inspirational spoken word poem “How to be Alone.”

[otts.]

 saw this on ju’s tumblr, and it’s really relevant to me. 

i am an introvert.  this summer, i am living alone.  and i love it. i might get a lot of smack every once in awhile for it, but honestly, when there is no one else around me, there is space for my thoughts to wander, to move about and reorganize.  the level of cleanliness or messiness is all mine, and i don’t have to worry if i’m too loud, if my alarm is going to wake someone else up, or if i will offend anyone with my cooking.  granted, everyone should probably learn to live with other people at one and time in their lives, but i am a highly empathetic/sympathetic person, so living with someone sometimes drives me insane.  i actually think everyone should try living alone for a little while also, because it teaches you a lot of things.

living alone also drowns out the chaos of the rest of my life, and it is when i am by myself when i can hear God’s voice most clearly.  if there’s one big thing i’ve learned to do this summer, it is listen to God.  and learning to do so when no one else around has allowed my ear to pick up on His voice whispering to me when i am in the company of others. 

living alone has also prepared me to travel alone.  i plan on spending a month in europe december-january traveling across the continent.  i was initially panicking because i don’t have any set person to travel with me at all times.  but, i’ve realized, if i don’t find anyone, i’ll be okay (at least in a emotional, non-physical sense, because i realize the precautions i will have to take and the danger i am potentially putting myself in).  i’ll be alright picking out hostels, choosing restaurants to eat at, learning languages, taking pictures, meeting new people, putting myself out there, trying new things, by myself. 

but i mean, i won’t really be by myself.  i’ve got Jesus.