I feel like in today’s society we’ve been conditioned to believe that being alone is a bad thing. That those who are alone must be lonely, and for that reason people pity "loners." There is strength in solitude. To be alone is to not be lonely because you always have yourself. In solitude one can discover their truest selves free from all outside influences and noise. Our truest selves just want to be loved, and it can often be easier to find outside sources that give us the impression of love, but to fall in love with yourself is the most rewarding love of all. If you love yourself you don't need external factors to make you feel complete because you're already full. At the end of the day, the only person who will ALWAYS have your back is yourself.
*A story I wrote for my college Sophomore English Creative Fiction Class - My first ever attempt at writing fiction* Let’s Pretend I often wonder what life would have been like if everything went according to plan. That’s the thrill about life I suppose, that one can never expect the unexpected. I try to believe in the philosophy that everything happens for a reason, but on this winter day a blanket of nostalgia wraps around me, and reminds me of his warmth. ♢ I’ll never forget the first time I met eyes with him, I drowned in those luminous blue pools. I was only six and he was eight, but his front left tooth was missing so he looked younger. At first, he didn’t want anything to do with me. He probably wouldn’t remember, but when my ball first rolled into his yard he kicked it back so aggressively he only missed my head by a hair. It wasn’t until I walked up to ask if he wanted to play that his face softened and my heart dove into those eyes. It was a brisk Autumn day, bu