Welcome to February, the Month of Loneliness

Every month I choose a theme that sets up the undertone for the content that is posted. I enjoy challenging the reoccurring themes I have seen played out so often in other publications, not because I think I am any better, but because I enjoy challenging expectations. Welcome to February, a month that has the typical connotation of romance and love. I don't intend to undermine those aspects, but I feel as though people who are single or alone in February are often disregarded. As someone who is single, I like to think that my perspective on a month completely devoted to love is objective, but if I'm being completely honest, it's probably comes across as pessimistic. If you're in love that's cool, but this month I wanted to focus on being alone. Not in the mere sense of being single, but spending time by yourself.

I decided to make February all about the concept of being alone because being alone has one of the most negative overtones in my opinion. I feel as though we are often afraid of being alone because we fear the thought being regarded of as someone who is unloved. Spending time with yourself does not mean that no one loves you, it means that you love yourself enough to be in your own company. I don't want to sound "fake deep" or anything, but I think being alone is pretty poetic. This month, I hope to make "alone" more of a synonym to "autonomous" than "isolated" because "me" time is a definite sign of independence.

Don't get me wrong, I love love. We will touch upon the subject at some point this month, but I want to keep the conversation on who we are when we are by ourselves. I will be posting about my own personal struggles with one-on-one time and poems that go along with this theme. This month's book "Run River" by the one and only, Joan Didion, has that sensation attached to it. I hope to inspire you this month with art and historical figures that are known for their resilience and autonomy. There is nothing wrong with being alone, in fact, is it even better than being with someone?

*The cover photo is of Ringo Starr and Maureen Starkey Tigrett.