solitude...

It's funny... Silence used to be something that I hated. I never enjoyed being alone, never enjoyed being quiet, never enjoyed solitude.  Now, it's a must.  I've been in Kenner, LA for a little over 26 hours now and even though I have some awesome times with my friends, I have also been able to have a substantial amount of solitude.
It started yesterday at the airport. I arrived at the gate with almost an hour to spare. I pulled out my iPhone and checked my email, Facebook, and a host of other things I check in the morning. I got the "busy stuff" out of the way for the day. Then I just sat. I listened to the news, watched people walk by, and enjoyed just "being".  I got on the plane and had both seats to myself. I stretched out, got my books and pens arranged, got my headphones ready and took time to quiet myself and breathe.  Slowly, in and out - breathe.

This morning I woke up early after only a few hours of sleep.  At first I look at it as a major inconvenience. I'm with my friends. I want to stay awake and talk and have fun.  Then, I realized what an opportunity I had.  I had time - time alone. I took time to pray, read worship and dig deeper into the Bible. I continued my book study on this blog (see pages to the right), and really enjoyed myself.  
Even the sounds of power saws and pneumatic nailers outside my window couldn't pierce through my solitude.  In fact, it's 9 hours later, and they're still going strong - And I don't even realize it until I consciously think about it.
Who would have thought that this guy who always needed something going on, something to entertain him would learn to rest - to enjoy solitude.