Solitude: Your Time Alone

This week, I have been “babysitting” a group of 4 teenage boys.
Our son Gabriel, who is 16, invited some of his friends to spend a few days in Miami.  "Lucky me", I was chosen as the chaperone.
 
Anyway, every morning, Gabriel leaves to do his community service, while Alex, his friend, goes out fishing.
 
I have been paying attention to Alex, his fishing techniques and the amount of hours he can spend doing it.
 
He wears a Hawaiian shirt and a floppy straw hat, never in a hurry carrying a short fishing pole. By looking at his mannerism and attire, one could never guess his age; he could easily pass for a retired man that has plenty of free time.
 
“Alex how was your fishing today?”
“Great!”
 
“Did you catch anything?”
“No, but the weather was great”
 
Next day our conversation:
 
“Alex, did you catch anything today?”
“No”
 
“So Alex, what did you do all day?”
“Well, if I like the area, I can spend all day there just enjoying the scenery”

“What do you think about?”
“I try to imagine all the animals living on the bottom… and thinking, who am I going to catch today…”
 
“And when you catch something…?”
“If I’m that lucky, I take it out of the water, talk to him, give him a kiss… and throw him back into the water… I will never eat what I catch!”
 
Wow!!!
 
I called, Nesrin, my wife…
“At seventeen, Alex understands something that the majority of us will never get or we learn to understand at an older age.”
 
He has found a passion, and while enjoying it, he has learned the magic of solitude! This young man has found something that he loves to do and better, he has discovered that he can cherish his time alone.
 
When Alex goes fishing, he takes a break of the cycle of day to day business, to listen to his own breathing and heartbeat, to pay attention to his mind and to reflect on his past, to understand his present and to draft a blueprint for his future.
 
He has learned to practice solitude, to enjoy his time alone.
 
_So Alex my young friend, you have taught us all 3 great lessons:
 
One, when we find our passion, time becomes non-existent. 
 
Two, we should give solitude a chance; we don’t have anything to lose and plenty to learn and gain from it!
 
Three, if it is too good to be true... it is probably not true!
To the fish that were lucky to be caught by a kind Alex, learn from your errors. This time you were off the hook... and always remember: we all deserve a second chance in life!

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