yesterday morning i was in redmond, washington. last night i saw the sunset in san francisco. i woke to a sunrise out the window of my flight into auckland, and tonight as the light fades i am sitting in a little shack perched above a white sand beach that stretches farther than the eye can see in both directions just north of auckland, nz.
coming in to land, i am torn between wanting to be with my family and needing to be alone. there is no-one here but me and the tiny refrigerator humming behind me as i write these words. outside, i hear only birdsong and the far off crash of waves on the shoreline. i think i will sleep well tonight, regardless of the decisions i make when tomorrow’s sun drifts up past the horizon.
perhaps you’re torn because there is no sign of anyone else there, such as a fellow person in solitude? sometimes it’s more comforting to be alone when you know there are others nearby but they will not disturb you – a sort of delicious moment of alone-ness amongst others…