Our culture often seems to imply that a love relationship means continually being with one's beloved, doing everything together, having friends together, making our partner our ALL.. By contrast, I've found that having solitary times where each partner does things apart from the other is just as necessary. For me that means solitary backpacking trips and solo meditation sessions; for my wife it means having a retreat day in the backyard, going out for coffee with her friends, and working at a leisurely pace on house projects while I'm away. We also practice a hybrid of the two aspects of solitude-and-togetherness whenever we meditate together. In addition, she has her own women's spirituality group, while I have my own contemplative men's group. Indeed, solitude enables us to appreciate each other even more - AND have more interesting things to talk about - when we do come back together :)
Photo: Indian Paintbrush and the peaks above Lake Solitude, Grand Teton National Park, WY, July 4, 2015
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