Solitude

"I've never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude" -- Henry David Thoreau

Why is it that when you are most starving for a bit of solitude that your family and friends decide that is high time for a weekend-long visit? Happens every time. This weekend has stayed true to form. I have wanted nothing but to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea or quietly plant flowers in the thawing soil of my garden -- spend some time nurturing my soul. How sad is it that I have to consider calling in "sick" to work just to spend some quiet time in priceless solitude? Why is it that our society does not accept and appreciate our innate need to spend time alone -- doing "nothing". The need to constantly be productive and to "do something" can drive a person to madness.

Part of me wants to scream and the other part of me wants to crawl under the bed and hide all day. Funny that the same circumstance produces two seemingly contradictory reactions.