Day Twenty-Six - I Love a Lonely Day

"The sea was angry that day my friends." --George Costanza

There's a storm a-brewin' and the sea is angry. It's supposed to stay in this funk of a mood until Saturday. Which, in a way, is kinda cool because a good storm by the sea is pretty spectacular. But, it also kinda sucks to have my last full day here with such bad weather. I think what I'm going to do is just hunker down with some good food, wine, a couple of DVDs, and a good book. I'll pretend this last showing of the ocean's power is just for me - a way of sending me off.

Two things I've learned in the last few days:

One, if you're a woman staying alone in a condo complex that has proven to attract looney people, don't ever - EVER - watch The Strangers after dark. It takes the ol' imagination to dark places. I ended up having to fast forward through most of it because I wanted to see how it ended but was too scared to actually watch it. It didn't make for a good night's sleep.

Two, at some point in your life you should experience having a whole beach to yourself. The best way to do that is to go for a walk when a storm is about to arrive. All of the smart people (Yeah, they may be smart but they're crazy too.) were apparently safe and sound in their condos but I don't care if it was stupid. It was worth it. There have been a couple of times in the past month when the closest person I saw was a mere dot in the distance, but this was the first time I truly had the whole thing to myself. It was beautiful.

When I first got here, I was stressed because I wasn't sure how to make the most of being so close to the ocean. It seemed too vast and too consuming to grasp fully. But I learned as the days passed how to just let it be and enjoy it. My solitary walk this afternoon seems a fitting way to wrap it up.

I am blessed.

Here are the lyrics to a song that seems fitting:

TV's off at 1am,
One more day alone again.
The work gets longer every day,
Why'd I have to get away?

But I have found a comfort here....
Solitude can be so dear.
Loneliness is not so blue,
When it puts my mind on you.

I love a lonely day,
It makes me think of you,
All alone, I can easily find your love,
I love,
I love a lonely day,
It chases me to you,
It clears my heart,
Lets my very best part shine through;
Its you.

Lonely people everywhere,
Lucky, lonely, ones who care.
Youve got all you need and more,
Someone to be lonely for,
Someone cries for you to hear,
Take your heart and wipe that tear,
Give them someone they can miss,
Give them love and sing them this.

--Amy Grant