by Leigh
I stumbled across an unfamiliar word the other day....solivagant. Have you ever heard it before? I don't remember how I came across it, but as soon as I saw the meaning I knew that this was a word to add to my vocabulary.
Solivagant: rambling alone; marked by solitary wandering
It really resonated with me. About once a week I find a need to escape the hustle and bustle of my day and wander alone. Sometimes I stop at a local nature preserve located in the middle of the city off a busy turnpike. As soon as my feet hit that trail I feel protected by the tree canopies. It's just me....by myself...well not quite alone, nature is there with me.
Sometimes my wanderings are just quick trips....enough time to de-stress and unwind for a moment. Other days I get lost in my wanderings and time slips away. Before I know it I have wandered for hours.
The first day of fall was last week and I felt like it was an occasion that needed to be marked in some way. I ventured downtown to the Myriad Botanical Gardens. It's still been pretty hot in Oklahoma, but this particular morning there was a cool breeze and low humidity. Even though downtown was busy during the rush hour of morning, the gardens were calm and still. As I wandered alone through the gardens I realized that I was in the middle of a very concentrated area of people in downtown OKC, yet I felt alone. Just me, my thoughts, the monarchs and bees buzzing past me and the sounds of cars in the distance. It was extremely peaceful.
I took time to engage all my senses fully. I stopped and sat by a small pond and felt like I was in a trance watching the ripples on the water. This solitary wandering is what I need to connect to myself.
Do you find yourself wandering alone sometimes? Is there a place that you go to where you can be alone and just feel lost in nature? Now you know there is a word for that...solivagant.
6 comments:
This sounds so heavenly, Leigh! How fortunate you are to have accessible places to wander when you need it. I believe I could use a good wander today!
yes Leigh...this is an awesome word! I try to take a little time in the evenings just to stroll through the neighborhood. Nature is good for the soul.
What a wonderful word! I suspect it's one that every reader of this blog will relate to. It went straight to my heart and will stay there - it's so "me". Thank you for the word and the inspiration of your beautiful photos.
Love your word and can relate to it. I often feel the need to just be alone with nature and to wander, especially with my camera in my hands. There are no plans but to wander and notice the beauty around me and then to shoot what speaks to me. I come back calm and refreshed. And now I have a word for it!
This is a wonderful word that I'll be adding to my Journal of Lists! It fits me perfectly and is something I used to do on a regular basis. As the weather cools, I've been wandering more and more. Yesterday, I stopped in a little town and wandered their streets and along their river for four hours. I left there feeling so calm and so joyful and with a lot of photos! Thanks for giving me a word to describe myself!
yup -me too -great word!
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