Solitude

One of the wonderful things about being a Celebrant is connecting with other Celebrants across the globe. Recently I was chatting to somebody who was delivering a ceremony for a man who was a “loner”, had few family members attending the celebration and she had little information to go on when writing his eulogy. She had reached out for help and inspiration. This, to me, is key in making sure that we do not bring our own ideas and values to the ceremony. A lot of people immediately would feel sad that the man was a “loner” and assume that he was lonely. There is a great deal of difference between loneliness and choosing to be alone. Solitude can be blissful. Thinking of it in that way I suggested Wordsworth’s. “I Wandered Lonely As A cloud” as a poem to be included in the eulogy. It is a poem about finding the bliss in solitude. Sometimes solitude helps us to find the beauty in things we would not notice if we are in company.

I am currently working on adding poetry to my pages. What poem would you think of when thinking about somebody who is a “Loner” ?