8 Amazing Perks to a Weekend Alone...

Have you ever had the urge to get away by yourself?  I recently spent a weekend alone which was…okay…incredible.  And afterwards, I realized it helped in 8 vital ways…

#1 –I didn’t have to go far.  I travelled thirty minutes to a beautiful seaside inn on Long Island Sound.  I had a lovely view of the water and because I went on Thursday and Friday nights, rates were cheaper.  I could’ve saved more money and picked a boring business hotel, but that’s not what this was about.  I wanted somewhere beautiful and restorative.   

#2 -- It felt adult.  Checking in.  Having luggage brought to my room.  Tipping the bellman.  After 35 years, these are all things I’m used to having done by my more-worldly husband.  Later, I sat on that big, comfortable bed and thought how different it feels navigating the world as a woman alone.  It seemed strange, but I liked it.

#3 – It’s the right time of life.  Midlife females are in that sweet spot – kids older, more freedom, and with luck, we still have our health.  There’s something “anything goes” about this time. If we don’t start pushing the envelope and exploring who we are now…when will we?  Life at this time is like fine, aged wine.  Pull out a bottle and drink up!

#4 -- Solitude is important.  Anna Morrow Lindberg, wife of aviator Charles Lindberg, occasionally had solo weekends and longer.  She called this time “sinking into oneself” and believed it was vital for women.  She wrote the best-seller “A Gift from the Sea” about time alone.  Mother of six (including the famous Lindbergh baby who was kidnapped), she felt solitude essential in finding our true essence.  This in turn breeds confidence.   

#5 -- You learn about yourself.  I always knew I was an introvert with no problem spending tons of time alone.  But I also learned I need people and was grateful I booked dinner both nights with friends.  I thought I’d sleep late but rose at 7:00 a.m. with coffee in my room.  Everything was quiet and still.  I wrote in my journal, read, took long walks, and sometimes wondered what was going on back home.  Sometimes I sighed with contentment. 

#6 -- It feels indulgent, but it’s not.  Sometimes it’s necessary to step out of our lives.  And it’s different than staying home alone for the weekend.  In the house there’s always laundry, cooking and cleaning.  The dog has to be walked and the cat fed.  At home, even by yourself a few days, you’re still in charge and that’s a different feeling than being untethered somewhere else.   

#7 – Going away makes me appreciate what I have.  After two days I came back to my beloved home where my husband and two sons did a surprisingly good job keeping the home fires burning.  “How was your time away?” Randy asked, as I started to unpack.  I gave him a kiss on the cheek.  “It was just what I needed. Thank you.”   I realized then how Randy’s always supported my growth and exploration in life.  I’m grateful. 

#8 – It whet my appetite for more.  Now I’m working my way up to a weekend or even a week in Manhattan.  Beyond that…. who knows?  This weekend was simple, but it’s the first chapter of what I hope will be many.  Randy’s burnt out on travel.   One hundred business flights a year will do that.  So that leaves me, at least for now, to my own devices.  What’s next?  Dubai?  India?  Singapore? 

Is it time you had your own private adventure?  Why not?  The world beckons.