Siblings.

Now, I bet you're all interested in how this post is going to work for me, being an only child and all. To be quite honest I've been wondering the same all day.

I've been asked before if I ever got lonely without siblings around, and I have to say the answer is a resounding no. Instead I think I have a very healthy ability to amuse myself and be quite comfortable in my own company. I've spoken to many who find it hard to be by themselves, especially when quiet or silence is involved. I have a friend who can never be alone without having the TV or radio on to simulate having other people around. I find this hard to understand; I would go stir crazy without some quiet time.

In fact I sometimes find it goes to the extreme of getting 'peopled out' when I've been around lots of people for a few days in a row. I really need my space after that. I love having people to visit, to go do fun things with them. I'm always super excited to see people when they get here. But there is something glorious about the day after everyone goes home. That first day I get to myself is just delicious.

I think that goes back to being a kid and having my friends over for the weekend. We'd have enormous amounts of fun and then they would go home at the end. Then I'd be by myself. I would bring out all my alone time things that I didn't want to share (not because I was selfish, but because they were precious to me) and spend some time doing the things I had missed doing. I still do that now. People leave and I can get my book to read it without interruption, or settle in to a proper craft session when I can think clearly without feeling like I should let them join in or amuse them.

I just like having little pockets of time where I can decide there and then what I want to do with them. I've gotten used to the luxury of that with there being no siblings occupying the same space as me. Nobody there to say "But I don't want to watch that". It may sound very selfish to some of you, but it isn't that at all. I just enjoy being by myself. I enjoy pottering about doing my own thing. I enjoy the freedom of it. Of course that isn't my entire life. I live with Toben for a start; being alone isn't everything to me. I just like having time to myself when it comes.