Alone, not lonely

I love to have time to myself. Time alone. When I can do what I want, think what I want. Whatever. I can escape in my own brain. Or, if I want to read, I can escape into someone else's brain.

Lately I've felt this overwhelming need to escape. Not to a place, but to a state of mind. Which is exactly what I was doing at lunch one day. I was all set up:


Looks perfect, right? Perfect food, perfect kindle, perfect shady spot... It was time to chillax.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Despite my "don't look at me, don't talk to me" vibes I was trying desperately to send out to the world, someone say down right next to me and wouldn't shut up for the last 20 minutes of my 30 minute lunch.

Ahh, those first ten minutes were magical, mixing my strawberries into my cottage cheese, preparing my kindle... It was going to be wonderful.

And then, the political talk. The inane ramblings of a coworker with obviously too much energy.

Anyone else out there enjoy your alone time? How do you escape?
~ ~ I think that's why I like to run: to be alone, to go wherever my legs want to go. I can think (and/or listen to music), crazy things and practical things, work things and home things. It's multitasking, doing double or triple duty: (1) I'm alone, (2) I'm exercising, and (3) I'm releasing stress.