Tonight, I saw a movie. It was about a man who lives his entire life inside a suitcase. He travels the country almost 300 days a year. He has no friends. He has no personal belongings at the apartment he rents "back home." He finds it hard to connect relationally with people, and is essentially an island unto himself. The moral of the movie is that people need each other. They cannot be islands. People need a community of friendly faces that know and love each other.
My church speaks often of community. A large portion of what they do is relational ministry through small community groups. It helps introduce others and make friends in such a large church, in a large city. I get it. Community really IS important. I have a small group of friends that make a point to be around each other, invest in each other, do life together. It's wonderfully encouraging. Today, I had a lot of fun with those people. We ate food, told stories, played games, watched the previously mentioned movie.
Having fun with people is great, but (you knew this was coming) sometimes I just like "Ben Time." I'm not saying that right now is one of those times, though the movie brought on a sense of longing for adventure...alone. I don't know why this is so. I lived by myself several times during my adult life so far. There are times that I honestly was so alone I couldn't handle it. I needed a hug, or a voice on the other end of the phoneline, or just knowing that the person I was thinking about was thinking about me too. Then there are times were I was glad I was by myself. And not necessarily in the obvious "no pants Thursdays" or "turn up the music as loud as you want at any time of night" or "spread out all your crap without anyone complaining" kind of ways. More like being alone with my thoughts, or being in control of my own situation (whatever that may be).
I've been around people a lot lately with band practice/shows, guys community group, the Food for Life Conference, halo game nights, work, and just other common busyness. I need a get-away. So I'm thinking of taking a road trip somewhere by myself. I don't know where. I kind of wish it was more towards the springtime, so I could go further west up to higher altitudes, but there's plenty to do around here if I just look. I think I'm going to sell some of my crap and get some more outdoor gear. I really enjoy camping, hiking, and just being out of doors. I'm already planning a backpacking adventure for later this spring, but I think I might do some pre-trip training. I'll keep everyone posted on how that goes.
