A Wordle of the Solitude Seeking blog.

He could be mistaken, but it seems like every Good Thing that’s ever happened to him occurred in the fall or winter. Conversely, it comes to mind that every Bad Thing has been accompanied by allergies, sunburns, bee stings and the Major League Baseball season. While winter shut-ins dream of June, July and August to shed their clothes and parade their bodies, he spends those same months looking forward to fresh colors and thinning crowds. He aches to walk forgotten paths covered in desiccated leaves and light frost. He longs to sit by slowed streams and commune with the universe in nature’s low rumbling seclusion. He remembers with fondness the acknowledging nods from similar stout-hearted souls along the trails, their cool breath trailing slightly behind as they pass. Summer is loudness. Fall descends into quiet. Winter embodies the solitude he so desperately seeks. “If only the leaves would start changing colors,” he thinks to himself. “It will all make sense when the greens go away and the oranges, reds and yellows return.”

At a very high level, I have to say the time away from Facebook, Twitter and my online presence was quite refreshing. Even so, I found myself numerous times thinking “Ooh – I should tweet this” or “I should send this to my Facebook page.” I am pleased that I was able to stay away and resist the urge to fall back into the digital habit. I sincerely enjoyed the quiet and I very likely will look to continue constricting my online time – most especially with social networking sites. I am not going away. However, I do not want to fall right back into the same time-killing habits.

Now some confessions…

I did peek-in on Facebook and Twitter a time or two (or three or four) while I was “away.” If you happened to stop by this blog, you may have noticed I kept my reading list current. I even did some back-end stuff with my other sites that would not be evident to passersby. And, I couldn’t resist posting a William Segal quote to my Solitary Zen Twitter feed on Tuesday of last week. (More on William Segal to come later.) I also spent more time than I had planned with e-mail.

Overall I was happy with my “sabbatical” and I would encourage others to do the same on a regular basis. I have learned a few things about my patterns and habits that will make my next digital sabbatical even more refreshing than this first one. I also found one or two things that were unexpected black holes of time and energy. I have taken the first steps to correcting those as well.

I also came away with a clearer picture of what I want to include in my online presence and those things better left to the real world or tucked safely away inside my head. Not much will change in this space. However, I will be refining the content areas and making some minor adjustments in the days to come. As a firm believer in transparency and full disclosure, I will provide updates as this space evolves.

As always, I thank you for your continued interest in – and support of – my personal and creative work.

Cheers!

During this time, I will not be updating Twitter, Facebook, my blog or the Solitary Zen site. E-mail will be checked and answered very sparingly – so sparingly that I wouldn’t recommend anyone count on it as a way of reaching me. My cell will remain on during this period. Calls and texts are welcomed. If you have my digits, use them.

In those 28+ days I will be researching and note-taking for my writing projects, doing a much-needed clean-up and rearrangement of the townhouse, as well as getting my creative space/office put back together. I will be playing, writing and recording music. I will be reading, meditating and trying to see into the future – but not too far ahead. I will be cooking. I will be walking and hiking. I will be taking pictures. I will be working.

See you on the other side!

Main Entrance Gate – Lily Dale Assembly

Wreath On The Fairy Trail – Lily Dale, New York

Lily Dale Museum

This little guy has been in my left front pants pocket for the past three years. I left him on the Fairy Trail in Lily Dale, New York along with the hundreds of other “offerings” from around the world. If you walk the trail, look for him in the very back on the last element.

Thinking I might give the mandolin another shot. I was just getting the proper finger callouses when I got sidetracked. This little thing gets rave reviews and is inexpensive enough for me to abuse and butcher without too much guilt. I currently have one other Washburn acoustic instrument that I love. The mando should arrive sometime early next week.

A Nick Drake kind of evening, kids.