Solitude
PROMPT:
On page 292 of Orange is the New Black, Piper Kerman says, “As a child... I developed a firm belief in my solitude, the not-novel concept that we are each alone in the world… But that’s not what I learned in prison. That’s not how I survived prison. What I discovered was that I am emphatically not alone.”
Describe a situation in your own life where you realized how much you depended on the people around you for survival.
I’m in kind of an interesting situation in my life right now. Since my husband and I moved away from our home of 12 years, I haven’t met anyone new. I haven’t become a part of the place where we are now, because I haven’t met anyone in the community. I know my husband, the old landlady (who hated my kids) and the new landlady who is actually really sweet, but I’ve only talked to her twice. It’s almost as if I thought that if I didn’t meet anyone and I didn’t get attached, that would mean this wasn’t permanent. It could be temporary if there were no new relationships involved.
Except it’s not temporary. It’s been seven months now, and instead of being nice and settled in, I’m still living out of boxes because I won’t unpack them and wishing that I could go out and get coffee with one of my …show more content…
I had a great mother-figure who mentored me and who ran amazing retreats every year for a group of women I grew very close with. I had a friend who would come over and knit and drink tea with me for an hour while my kids took quiet time. It wasn’t a ton of time, but it was precious. Life is richer with people around you, and you’re not this person floating around in a bubble, like Piper said. You have the ability to connect with people, the need to connect with them, and to hopefully make their lives richer for having known
On page 292 of Orange is the New Black, Piper Kerman says, “As a child... I developed a firm belief in my solitude, the not-novel concept that we are each alone in the world… But that’s not what I learned in prison. That’s not how I survived prison. What I discovered was that I am emphatically not alone.”
Describe a situation in your own life where you realized how much you depended on the people around you for survival.
I’m in kind of an interesting situation in my life right now. Since my husband and I moved away from our home of 12 years, I haven’t met anyone new. I haven’t become a part of the place where we are now, because I haven’t met anyone in the community. I know my husband, the old landlady (who hated my kids) and the new landlady who is actually really sweet, but I’ve only talked to her twice. It’s almost as if I thought that if I didn’t meet anyone and I didn’t get attached, that would mean this wasn’t permanent. It could be temporary if there were no new relationships involved.
Except it’s not temporary. It’s been seven months now, and instead of being nice and settled in, I’m still living out of boxes because I won’t unpack them and wishing that I could go out and get coffee with one of my …show more content…
I had a great mother-figure who mentored me and who ran amazing retreats every year for a group of women I grew very close with. I had a friend who would come over and knit and drink tea with me for an hour while my kids took quiet time. It wasn’t a ton of time, but it was precious. Life is richer with people around you, and you’re not this person floating around in a bubble, like Piper said. You have the ability to connect with people, the need to connect with them, and to hopefully make their lives richer for having known