A Little Alone Time

My son-in-law recently posted this interchange between their two daughters on facebook:

Josie (to her younger sister): “No, Anna! I want to be alone!”

And three-year old Anna responds: “I want to watch you be alone, Josie.”

Seven-year old Josie is the most gregarious of our four granddaughters and never sees a stranger, but I can already see in her this genuine need to sometimes be alone.  Anna doesn’t understand this very well yet.

John is off playing golf today, and, like Josie, I am enjoying my time alone. 

After I met John, while we were just beginning to get to know each other, in one of the first emails I ever sent him, I told him I was the kind of person who needed a lot of time alone.  If we were going to be coupled, it was something I thought he needed to know.

To his credit, John has always perfectly understood this.  And if from time to time I need to spend time away from him, he understands and doesn’t take it personally.

Hardly a day goes by that I don’t feel thankful he is in my life, but there are times when I’m glad for him to not be around—to watch me be alone.