It’s the end of the long Easter weekend. I’m sitting at the airport, waiting to board my flight back home to Auckland. Leaving Queenstown always brings me in a sad mood. One that is very different to the mood when a holiday is coming to an end. This was my second solo trip to Queenstown and I’ve had some time to ponder over life, so why not blog about it.

Being by yourself can often be seen as a punishment by some. The thought of being alone is often confused with what the thought of being lonely. That is just not true. Being lonely is when you crave attention from another person and that person is either not there or that attention that you seek isn’t. At least that’s how I look at it.

You can be amongst a sea of people and still feel lonely because either that particular person isn’t there or the kind of attention you seek isn’t. I used to hate being alone or feel lonely. But this Easter weekend I went to Queenstown on a solo trip. There are still things I’m learning to be comfortable with when travelling solo, but in no way was I feeling lonely.

I appreciated the solitude and being one with my thoughts. Sometimes that was scary and other times it was enlightening. Being alone, in this case, for me, was a blessing in disguise. It gave me perspective.

Perspective about life. Perspective about who is really there when you need it. Perspective about my goals and ambitions. Perspective about how far I’ve come. It helped me change my mindset. I used to shy away from celebrating my successes. But you know what, in eleven years of chasing a goal, I have learnt a thing or two. 

In my thirty-one years of life, I have met many people through different walks of life. Some have stayed, some have moved on. Each one has taught me something, whether good or bad. It’s in these times of being by myself that I get to reminisce over all of these things.

I used to be afraid of being alone previously. But now when things get tough, it’s what I yearn for. Maybe you’re the same, maybe you’re not. Either way I hope you have some way of getting perspective. Embrace the learnings that come your way, because without it, you perhaps would still be stuck in your shell.

This is just a blog to share my thoughts. It is not written to offend anyone.

Until next time,

Mili