The Power of Solitude

Eiffel Tower Portrait 

"I  dont want to be alone,  I want to be left alone. " 

" Paris is always a good idea"

- Audrey Hepburn 

In 2009 i had a nine month contract living in Paris, France dancing for Disney. It was one of the most magical years of my life, and i was only nineteen. Paris, france has a very large part in the woman i am today because it taught me about the power of solitude and being alone. I refused to sit around and wait for someone to join me on the adventures i wanted to go on in Paris. i refused to put such a once in a lifetime opportunity in the hands of someone else, so i took full responsibility for the life I wanted to create while living there. I saw musicals like Cleopatra, Hair, The Lion King, and Alvin Ailey. i drank wine and rode the carousel  on the Champs De Elyse. i saw movies like Coco Avant Chanel about Mademoiselle Coco Chanel's life and i saw the movie in french. I had a discount at Sephora so i shopped for makeup and fragrances like chanel No. 5 and Mon Cherie by dior. I indulged myself in french culture by going to the moulin Rouge on july 4, The louvre musuem, Notre dame, and an Andy Warhol exhibit. i got tipsy and rode the rollercoasters at disney with a friend and we went and ate mexican frequently. I met these gorgeous two Taurus mermiads who were islamic and we broke fast during Ramadan. They were so sensual and we would smoke herb, listen to music, eat good food, watch movies, and have deep convos. i spent so much of my time in Paris, france really learning what made me happy and what type of woman i wanted to be regardless of if a man is present in my life or not. There is so much power in being alone, and i feel like women wont know how to pour into a man and a relationship until she first knows how to pour into herself. iyanla vanzant once wrote that men must learn how to love us, and they learn how to do that by us getting out into the world and learning how to love ourselves and what brings us happiness. One of the ideas expressed in the book The Secret is that when we do not treat ourselves the way we want other people to treat us we never change the way things are. My grandmother passed away in December of 2020 and i inherited her home that i shared with her before she passed. ive been cooking and cleaning and burning sage. and doing laundry. Ive been taking care of myself by myself. Solitude is powerful because it teaches you how to be your own bestfriend therefore it doesnt matter what a man is doing you know youll be amazing no matter what the outcome because you believe in your ability to love yourself first always. i wish all my mermaids the ability to cultivate gratitude for the power of being alone. ase.