As I’ve said before, I get to work with some incredibly talented young adults throughout my career as a teacher. And on more than one occasion, I have come across students whose talent and creativity literally leaves me speechless.
I’ve been rendered speechless on so many occasions, but the most happened during my two years of teaching creative writing to high school seniors in Kentucky. That class was such an inspirational and emotional class because we had the opportunity to really express ourselves though our words and get to know each other through sharing our writing.
So today’s post of my new “Feature Friday” series is going to feature a young man named Riley. I had Riley for three classes: English, Creative Writing, and Study Hall. Riley is one of those students any teacher would be excited to have in multiple classes. He is hardworking, contemplative, and incredibly kind. Riley’s contemplative demeanor often made him seem quiet or reserved, but once the ice was broken and you had the opportunity to converse with him away from the chaos of high school, it was easy to see his heart and to be inspired by his outlook on the world.
Today, I want to share with you a piece that Riley wrote in our creative writing class his senior year of high school. The assignment was a “definition essay” in which students redefined and expanded a word beyond the simple dictionary definition. Riley chose to redefine the word “solitude,” which I believe is a word we are all experiencing right now. Words like “isolation” or “alone” carry a negative connotation to them, but shifting the language away from those words and to a word like “solitude” can bring about a powerful mindset that Riley had already found as an eighteen year old.
I hope this piece brings you the overwhelming feeling of peace and serenity that it did for me, and I hope you can find a little bit of solitude in this season. And when you want to read more of Riley’s work (which I assure you, you will), you can visit rileyarthur.webnode.com
Photo by Ana Gabriel on Unsplash
“An old rock quarry lies about a mile and half from my house. It’s a place I go to quite often with friends, but not enough by myself. A few years ago, I had yet to see this place in the early hours of the morning. So one Saturday I woke up around 6:00 AM and headed over to it. I made my way past the early risers going on their walks and runs, and finally made it to the old gate that had been long since used. The “No Trespassing” sign was crooked and graffitied, I never seemed to give it any authority. I hopped it and continued up the old gravel road that led to this place.
It was quiet. I could only hear the breeze whistling past my ears. It was a perfect temperature. The sky was a dark, dark blue with a small light starting to appear on the horizon. The highway behind the tree line was quiet as well; not many people travel the early morning, weekend highway. It just made a small buzz. I made my way further down the path; past the old manmade structures and past the deer trails. I reached the bank of the water, and all I was surrounded by now were the high rocks that circle this sacred place. A cool breeze was coming off the water, and I was truly at peace. The sky had gotten lighter just in my walk further down, so I could see everything in a dim light now; just enough to see the reflection of the sky off the water. This giant mirror in front of me was perfectly still, except for the occasional light breeze that skimmed it, sending tiny waves whichever way. I was there for a while, meeting this newfound feeling of true seclusion. Just for a moment, amongst the chaos going on in my life at that time, I felt like I, for once, had all the time in the world; and not the other way around.
Solitude is defined as: the state or situation of being alone. The other definition: a lonely or uninhabited place. I love that solitude can be regarded as a literal place. It’s important that one finds this place. Just as I found the quarry. Both in their minds and physically. So it doesn’t have to be a place, it can be in your head. I utilize this sometimes in school, when I need to escape for a few moments or write something. I just put in my earbuds and leave, all while staying at my desk. Socialization is obviously important, but quite often we get too caught up in that. People often disregard how much you can focus if you just take a moment for yourself.
I have always loved in scripture how Jesus would quite often go off by himself to meditate or pray. He would spend long days of travel and long days with crowds, always with eyes on him. Some waiting for him to pull off a miracle and some waiting for him to slip up. Constantly under pressure. He participated in this practice of solitude all the way up to the night before his brutal death. I believe that if the literal Son of God routinely took time for himself, we should too.
I use solitude for thinking. I use it to create whatever it is I want to create. My best songs and my best poetry have been written in complete isolation. I let my mind wander wherever it wants to, and I love it. In our lives that move faster than the speed of light, it’s good to live in a single moment. That is my definition of solitude. Find a place, whether it’s in the world or in your mind, and just be there.”