The Birth of a Solitary

Why I am the way I am.

Tom & Atticus, the start of our solitary life. Photo by Ken Stampfer.

Deepak Chopra once shared that the most common hour of death each week is 9:00 Monday morning. It wasn't just those who were working at the time of death. It seems that even after retiring, most hold onto the stress of leaving their freedom behind and going back to work each week.

I heard him say this years ago, so I don't know if the statistics are different since life is constantly changing, but I would not be surprised if they remain valid.

I can't help but think of that each Monday as we finish our woodland miles and stop by Grant's Shop & Save to see what Dave and Sarah have stocked the produce shelves with. I don't know many people who work harder and receive less gratitude than the entire crew at Grant's, a smaller and less fancy version of Hannaford. I am fond of all of them.

While we've been home for six weeks, I've still not seen some of my friends since we continue to enjoy this monastic way of life. But oh…