Finding Solitude

I always have to laugh when someone asks me to do something with them, and I say no, I have other plans and they get irked and say something like, 'I can't believe you'd rather do that than do what I'm doing.' I laugh because I'm thinking the same thing about them. We all have things that make us happy. I used to enjoy going around from bar to bar, cafe to cafe, whatever listening to different bands, etc. But that was mainly when I was with the music company, in Florida, and that was part of my job. Hey, a tough job but someone had to do it. Lately though, I've been reverting back to what I liked to do 30 years or so ago. No, not snow skiing! Finding solitude.


When I lived in Erie, PA I had relatives who lived right off the bayfront. Now there wasn't access to the area where I went because it was all private property. Luckily for me, my cousins not only lived there but had a welding business there. When I wanted a quiet place to sit and think, write my poetry, or just comtemplate the meaning of life I would cross through their property, unlock the gate at the bottom that lead to the bayfront and find my peace.

Recently while reading a blog of a friend in CT, she spoke of a place where she finds her solitude and her sanity. Unfortunately the day she went things weren't what she remembered or sought.


While her space will be back for her, since the motorcycle club won't be there all the time, mine has permanently changed. Erie in it's infinite wisdom decided we no longer needed the beauty of the bay but instead needed a parkway - why they call it a parkway when you can't park there is beyond me - that connected one side of Erie to the other. The access to the bayfront is gone and their are condominiums where there was once quiet serenity. The last time I was home I was saddened by the changes that weren't really for the best. We already have streets that go from one side to the other, but this one has no stops which, I guess is important to some people. But I miss the access to what was one of the most secluded and beautiful spots in Erie, PA.

I've found some spots in Sumter, but nothing to match what once was in the bayfront of good old Erie. I still seek that spot where I can find complete solitude to commune with nature, my thoughts,write my poetry, and find that peaceful easy feeling once again.