Hermit-hood

Is it wrong or strange, that I have no problem envisioning myself as a hermit? It's not that I don't like people... But to be honest, I can see myself living by myself, or with a loved one, up somewhere in northern Canada. Just me, the stars, the trees, the lakes and rivers. Me with my pen and paper, me with my sketchbook. In thinking of all the different lifestyles I could have, that vision is one that I think about often and the one that brings me the greatest peace.

I can entertain myself quite easily. I have talked to different friends about this, and they agree that while most people need things or others around for their own amusement, I have no problem creating amusement out of thin air for myself (Case in point: writing, drawing, reading, etc.).

Recently, I spent some time living in a small town. At night, I loved to just stand outside staring at the billions of stars, the moon hanging above the faint outline of the mountains, feeling the cold breeze as it swept up off the icy river. Coming back to the city, I can remember sitting by the beach on a beautiful spring night, watching the stars emerge, all one- two- three- four- of them, the rest cut out by the glimmering lights of the nighttime city.

Don't get me wrong, there was something so innately beautiful that night, of the city, the bridge, the sparkling arm of the ocean. I can appreciate all kinds of beauty, urban, suburban or rural. But home for me is solitude. As a small child, I can remember always saying "When I grow up I want to live in the forest."

In the meantime I want to travel the world to areas populated and unpopulated, cosmopolitan and primitive. But when I finally settle down, I hope that I follow my original dream and make my home near the eagles, fish, elk and bears instead of the traffic, streetlights, and highrises.