Loneliness. 

I used to hate being alone. The idea of standing alone in a room full of people scared me. I would scroll through social media jealous of those large friend groups having fun at the beach. I know I’m not alone. I have amazing friends. I have a loving family. But I’ve felt as if I was missing something. The need to fill this emptiness began to dissolve this year as I learned to embrace loneliness. 

Loneliness is a beautiful thing. I’ve discovered that there is so much more to life than the number of friends you have or how filled up your calendar is with many different plans. You just have to look carefully and, as cliche as it sounds, live in the moment.

Appreciate the little things in life. Don’t miss out on amazing opportunities, even if you have to do them alone. Learn to play that instrument you’ve always wanted to play. Have a dance party in your room. The best part of being alone is that you can do anything you want! 

I’ve found beauty in every single second of my day. I can savour beautiful moments just for myself and not have to worry about anyone else in the picture. Of course, it’s always fun to be around other people, but truly, the best company you could ever have is yourself. You know you best, and even if you choose to believe that you don’t know yourself that well, take some time to explore YOU! 

Quality over quantity. 

Don’t value numbers over the experience. As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” It doesn’t matter if you don’t have anyone to experience life with because you are not alone. You are living your own life in this magnificent world. With the other seven billion people in this magnificent world. We are all in a lonely, yet beautiful painting in this magnificent world.