This blog resonnated with our readers.  Scroll to the end to read what one AWA reader, Kathy Kaminski, had to say.

When was the last time you were alone? Sitting in your office with the door closed doesn’t count. I mean alone, really alone.

Sure, we’re by ourselves all the time—we may be by ourselves when we watch TV, eat breakfast, run to the grocery store, drive in our cars, a thousand times a week. But between the proximity of our homes and workplaces and creeping technology how far are we really from another human being? Another person is just a shout, an arm’s length, a cell phone call away.

I’ve become convinced that the only place to be really alone is in Nature. If you look out my back door you can see a field.  Beyond the field is a dam and beyond that is a pine forest.  The pine forest is my alone place.  It’s far enough away from the house that I can’t hear people yelling for me or even see them waving their arms and gesturing wildly to me to “Get back here because--the cat has run away—your mother just called—I don’t
know how long to put the leftovers in the microwave.”  I love that pine forest.

But I’m also convinced that a little alone goes a long way. It doesn’t take me long to open my eyes and head back to the world. Refreshed? Yes. Ready for some human contact? Yes.

I’ve been doing so much thinking about being alone because I’m reading a book called
Go Your Own Way (www.sealpress.com ). The book is 20 essays by women who pack up their suitcases (or backpacks) and head for the jungle, the Partheneon, or the Eurorail. I read it all in one night because their adventures were so great and I wanted to witness them all.  Now I’m reading it again for all the details I missed the first time.  I’m green with envy for their lives and their experiences (maybe not the snakes).

I don’t often travel alone--do you? I might be in the minority. In the past three years over 16 million women have taken a trip by themselves. I’m a different person when I’m alone as opposed to with family or friends. Braver? More thoughtful? Friendlier?The idea of taking a trip with that person appeals to me.

A trip where all restaurants, activities, and destinations don’t have to be approved by committee. No battling between the early risers and the night owls, or between local cuisine and McDonald’s; Lying on the beach or parasailing over it. Yes, I’m really warming to the idea.  Tell me about your solo vacations. Should I try it?

It is meaningful to me that I read this article while I was away from home, alone.  I have traveled alone for business before but not for pleasure.  Well, I took an "alone" vacation to a spa a few years ago that was disastrously cut short by Hurricane Rita threatening to wipe out my home.  It all worked out OK but it seemed that the universe was sending me a message that I shouldn't try that vacation-by-myself idea again.
 
This past week, I was on a trip to see the Space Shuttle launch in Florida. It was an honor presented to me because of my work (NASA).  The first part of the week was filled with activities, which kept me busy.  However, I found myself checking my Blackberry constantly for work and personal messages, and tapped away on my laptop in my hotel room.  However, the longer I was away, the less compulsion I felt to keep connected to all those distractions.
 
When I made reservations, I added 2 extra nights because launches are notorious for being delayed.  When the launch went off as planned, I was left with a whole weekend by myself.  No colleagues, no spouse, no elderly mom to care for.  I was tempted to change my flight, because taking a few days to do whatever I wanted seemed overwhelming.
 
The question kept coming to me, "What do I want to do?"  I am hardly ever faced with that choice.  There is always something that needs doing - work, home, family, school, church, etc.  I am 45 years old, and having 2 days of deciding what I want to do, from hour to hour, made me feel like a little girl:  a little scared, yet excited.
 
After catching up on some sleep, I tried relaxing by the pool.  But that really isn't my thing.  Like Jodi, I feel much more comfortable in Nature, especially near water.  So I hopped in the car and drove to the coast.  Once I reached the beach, I felt a renewal and relaxation that I can't describe.  It was wonderful.
 
I will be planning some more alone-vacations in the future, and there will be a Nature theme to them without a doubt.
 
Kathy Kaminski
Houston, Texas