I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.

Albert Einstein

I embraced solitude in my youth while at the same time I was blessed to have close friends and savor memories of times with them. But I remember spending time alone where I used my imagination to create worlds I could control but also kept me from living in reality. In my youth the reality of the world had people in it that did not think or see as I thought and therefore my youth has painful memories. I can recall the wounds inflicted from bullies and the adults who would find fault when I didn’t think as they did and even a God, who I was taught, was finding fault in me. I remember believing there was something wrong with me if I didn’t want to be a part of the crowd and so I would fearfully make the effort to try and fit in. So it is in gratitude that my years of maturity have allowed me to enjoy the delicious gift of healthy solitude in my life while also living in healthy relationships and the gift to have both.