I think you're in a large club, Miselle, and I know I'm a member. I wish there were a way to graph our moods, or have some kind of flashing lights on our foreheads to signal these feelings. Or maybe not. But I bet we all have them. I once lived on a tiny atoll in the Central Pacific--you could walk around the whole thing in 15 minutes and it was 8 miles to the nearest other inhabited place and 60 sea miles to the nearest electricity or running water. About 200 people lived there, probably 2/3 of them children. The strangest thing for me was the attitude toward solitude. Some nights I used to walk around to the uninhabited back side of the island and sit on the beach there, just to get some alone time. If my host father saw me, he'd send one of the kids to accompany me, so I wouldn't feel alone!
That was your setting for you first novel, if I recall correctly. Or at least the inspiration for it. I remember reading it long before I discovered Breakfast with Buddha. In fact, after reading the first Buddha book, I looked into your catalog to find more to read. When I picked up Leaving Losapas, I thought "hey, I read this already!" LOL
Funny thing is, often this happens to me, but I can't recall how a story proceeds, so I get to enjoy a book all over again!
Sometimes I think I love "people" but hate "humanity"
Other times I think I love "humanity" but hate "people"
Sometimes I feel lonely and seek out others.
Other times, I'm in a group and think "I have GOT to get out of here!"
Well said--I have experienced all of these feelings as well!
I think you're in a large club, Miselle, and I know I'm a member. I wish there were a way to graph our moods, or have some kind of flashing lights on our foreheads to signal these feelings. Or maybe not. But I bet we all have them. I once lived on a tiny atoll in the Central Pacific--you could walk around the whole thing in 15 minutes and it was 8 miles to the nearest other inhabited place and 60 sea miles to the nearest electricity or running water. About 200 people lived there, probably 2/3 of them children. The strangest thing for me was the attitude toward solitude. Some nights I used to walk around to the uninhabited back side of the island and sit on the beach there, just to get some alone time. If my host father saw me, he'd send one of the kids to accompany me, so I wouldn't feel alone!
That was your setting for you first novel, if I recall correctly. Or at least the inspiration for it. I remember reading it long before I discovered Breakfast with Buddha. In fact, after reading the first Buddha book, I looked into your catalog to find more to read. When I picked up Leaving Losapas, I thought "hey, I read this already!" LOL
Funny thing is, often this happens to me, but I can't recall how a story proceeds, so I get to enjoy a book all over again!
Yes, you're right. A rough experience for me, but I sometimes wonder if I'd ever have published a novel if I hadn't gone to that island.
I don't think I've ever felt as lonely alone as in certain situations in a crowd!
Exactly. Kind of the flip side of this quote's coin.