Portrait of Henry Bemis and his discovery of books amidst the ruins of the library ala Lego.
Recently, I was hit with a bout of sleep deprivation. The experience of becoming a human night owl, reminded me of those times in college when I thrived on staying up late. And it wasn’t just about staying up late, but also about being alone and experiencing the world as if time stood still and I was the only person left on earth. There’s something about that absence of light and sound that comforts me. It reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode ‘Time Enough to Last’. For those of you unfamiliar with the episode, Henry Bemis, a bookish, long-suffering bank teller (played by Burgess Meredith) survives an H-bomb attack. Once he discovers that the books at his library are still intact and that a food supply is available to ensure his survival, he becomes elated realizing that he now has all the time in the world to read (that is of course, before his eyeglasses shatter). While I don’t need an H-bomb attack to help induce a solitary state of mind, being up and alone at night, on a long airplane flight with my books, or hanging out in a quiet place to witness the sun rise are enough to bring me some contemplative bliss.
When was the last time you savored your solitude?
I LOVED that episode! I love Twilight Zone in general, but that is just such a great modern Aesop-ish fable.
The last time I savored my solitude is right now. I love being alone at night to ponder life and all its future. I do it every night.
Glad to hear you’re a fan too. It’s periods of intense sleep deprivation when I wish I lived in Asia and could have a plate of noodles at 3am. At least, we have Alhambra/Monterey Park though…
usually when i travel to asia or europe, i end up waking up at like 4 am on my first day there. what i love to do is to tear out a city map from my guide and go for a run in the dark. it’s so amazing to see a new city in slumber, about to wake. and since i really don’t know the city, i’m pretty much getting lost on every turn. the combination of quiet, meditative breath of the run, and experiencing 100% new stuff around every corner really makes everything so spiritually palatable. rad
Solitude available one hour from Downtown. Flyfishing the San Gabes for wild, native trout. Then letting them go.
Eating fish available at TJ’s.
It is the best, most relaxing, greenest, satisfyingly Zennish sport. You come too.
Driving cross country on my own schedule. So much to see and I didn’t have ok it with anyone if I wanted to take a detour to see the World’s Largest Picnic Basket.
A few: Generally my quiet, comfortable house in my leafy, bedroom ‘burbs; a walk through the nearby wetlands; crate-diggin’ amidst the stacks @ Amoeba; a drive through Portuguese Bend into Lunada Bay with the iPod as accompanying soundtrack.
I savored it today. I took a break from the computer, lay down on the couch and spaced out, and daydreamed.