Last week, I went on my first solo trip to Rome. It had been on my radar for a while, and with my youngest having recently finished school, the timing seemed perfect to take myself away.
I wanted to travel alone. I wanted the freedom to discover a city at my own pace, to experience the wonder solely for myself. I needed time to reflect on who I am now – to discover my identity as a stranger in a vast city.
I did not go to Rome for a history lesson. I went there to be submerged in the culture, food, people, and energy. Above all, I wanted to soak in the beauty. And I did all those things. I wandered through tiny lanes, admiring the colours – ochre, rose, ivory and the palest turquoise. The roofs were stacked like time-stamped records of history. Nonnas sat eating pasta after lunch guests had left or shouted orders from a chair at the entrance. Men stood waiting for their first espressos outside their local, with the scents of butter and icing sugar drifting down the lane. I watched the sunset from one of Rome’s seven hills and rise from another.
Traveling solo heightens the senses. When you travel with a companion, you face them; when you travel alone, you face the world. Sometimes, I would sit for hours with my journal, my back to the wall facing the bustling coffee bar. Alone, there was time for deep reflection, almost meditation. I could savour the crisp, sweet flakes of a pastry, contrasted by the rich, dark macchiato.
Serendipitously, I am reading Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities and the Pleasures of Solitude by Stephanie Rosenbloom. In it, she explores the delights of traveling alone and describes alone time as one of the highest forms of self-care.
Of course, you can spend alone time in your own city, but traveling to a new destination heightens awareness of the preciousness of the present moment. I stood in the Vatican, thinking this might be the last time I would ever marvel at the astounding works of Michelangelo and Raphael in that setting.
While in Rome, I limited contact with the outside world. I switched off digital media so that my attention would be on the present environment. My time there overlapped with the US Presidential elections. News of Trump’s victory reached me, but it was only on returning that I started to work through the vast analysis of this change in government.
Whether you support Trump or not, his election signals a faster pace in our era of disruptive politics. There will be more uncertainty, even chaos. Old alliances and the veneer of civility in politics are gone. The most powerful position in the world now holds even more power, with overwhelming support and a Supreme Court behind his ideas. Many people are afraid.
Yet, even before the US election, the world was uncertain. With so many disruptive forces at play, no one knows what the future holds, and more information won’t necessarily bring us certainty or peace.
Although we don’t want to be naïve or uninformed, my experience in Rome confirmed that we can create our reality. Alone time can help us protect our peace just as much as time with loved ones does. Both are necessary. Yet, we seldom allow ourselves to switch off and even feel guilty about it.
I returned inspired, rested, and joyful. I’d like to protect this space. I encourage you to seek that space that helps you retain equilibrium while facing the inevitable change ahead.
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Kind regards,
Sunél