In the above article by John Leake, stories of Isaac Newton, Robert Louis Stevenson, and others point out that times of confinement or solitude enable us to take a deep dive internally, to see what is there for us and others.
I agree.
I am, by nature, introspective, almost to a fault. I am gregarious and extroverted and I am also a hermit and a recluse. There are times when I need to be around people. When I was visiting my grandson in Brooklyn, I was regularly walking in Prospect Park as well as Central Park. Traveling on a packed subway didn’t bother me. I needed people around. But other times, I needed solitude. I had an opportunity to spend almost six weeks in solitude over the summer and I did some seriously creative work, journaling, completing my book, and sorting out the questions that bubbled up but dissipated with the distractions of my life.
In the northern hemisphere, winter is near. This influences people to naturally stay indoors. The number of possible distractions we have today is endless. Do you remember a time when the power went out? After a brief moment of panic (“What the hell am I supposed to do now?”) you regrouped, lit some candles or a fire, ate some canned sardines for dinner if you didn’t have a gas stove, etc. Then it became an opportunity to draw, paint, journal, play board games, a musical instrument, and most importantly, do nothing. As John Leake writes,
“However, because we such hyper social creatures,
voluntary isolation goes strongly against our nature.”
But we can put ourselves into a bit of solitary confinement. This time of year lends itself to that. It is quickly becoming the darkest of days before the winter solstice and naturally, a time to go within, hibernate, introspect, and be still. In more temperate climates like the one I’m in now in Mexico, it becomes more challenging. A sunny, warm day lends itself more readily to going outside and meeting people, doing business, and distractions. One antidote to this is daily meditation as well as daily journaling. Another is to purposely carve out time, put it on our calendars and lock the doors, pull the plug on the wifi router, darken the shades, and (re)create yourself for the new year.
I am speaking directly to the late-term chiropractic students here, but this goes for all of us. Chiropractic school is the most wonderful and exhausting time in life. You are exposed to too much information. There are classes, labs, clinic hours, work-study, jobs, social commitments, off-campus seminars, and the general mechanics of being a student, that introspection or creativity are endlessly shelved or put on the back burner. This leaves no time to “sharpen the axe” as Abraham Lincoln is oft quoted. What does “sharpen the axe” look like? It might be an insight into a particularly persistent problem. It might be a new concept for your future that now can take root. It might simply be an opportunity to unburden your mind from the energetic ties that tangle inside your head. You might write a poem, a letter to an estranged parent or friend, or a new vision for a business. Whatever ushers forth, allow it.
Please do it. Your minds may squirm and thrash against this change, but it will be worth it. Heck, you might even like it. If you don’t make this time, 20 years might flash by and leave you feeling desolate. Create a space and time for yourself to look within. You may be surprised at the view.