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.
