Can loneliness lead to solitude?

Hello there, 

I  have lived in a metropolitan city of India for 26 years before I moved to UK and then later on to the USA. Everyday in my life back in India used to be very busy. 

I have a big family back there. My school, work, family and friends, hobbies, social life etc. always kept me busy round the clock. The city and people around me had a big influence in making me an independent  and bold girl  at a very young age. Never did I have a calm, lone time spent that I can recall of. Only time I would be all by myself most of the days were when I was dead tired and sleeping in the night. I was someone who thought I could never be alone all by myself as I never had to in the buzz of  a busy city .

But over the years after moving out from my comfort zone, culture, family and friends I realized ‘SOLITUDE' was different from ‘Loneliness’. In the past I never really experienced loneliness to begin with let alone be on a  journey in the path of solitude. At least in my case, to get away from loneliness I started exploring a whole new world where I spent hours doing something I love , all by myself.

And now I am at a stage where I enjoy cooking couple of hours with music being played out loud or indulge in a cup of tea sitting in my balcony with thoughts and memories flowing in or meditate in a dark space with a blank mind or paint something or go running outdoors alone or simply stroll around a new city or a place . I don’t know if this is solitude. But what I do know is it isn’t loneliness and I am enjoying every bit of it.

In the above picture, I am onlooking a frozen lake at a resort I stayed over this winter. Though I wasn’t alone when this was snapped,  I can relate how I feel about being alone and content with this picture. Hence sharing with you all with a question in mind ' Can loneliness lead to solitude if worked on it positively ?' 

Have a great weekend !

-Bash