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Wandering à la Merry Loner Lifestyle in Cannes, France, November 2024. While the Merry Loner Mindset praises leaning into self-confidence and going after your dreams, I haven't always done so publicly—and when I have, it often comes with a lot of hesitation and worrying before hitting PUBLISH. It just doesn't come naturally to me. I don't maintain an Instgram account with lots of pictures of myself. I'm always forgetting to post on LinkedIn, even though that's what all the freelance writers do these days. And when I am asked to share a picture of myself for a project (like I was last week), I'm often hard pressed to dig up some photos that aren't group shots. (I'm more of a journal-er than a photographer when it comes to documenting my escapades.) But this week, I'm trying something different. After a monthslong hiatus from A Merry Loner for a sunny vacation in Cyprus and Spain (followed by almost a week bedridden with a virus), I'm eager to get back to writing. So when Olivia Wickstrom from Petal and Hearth (a new publication on Substack) reached out to me to contribute a guest post, I was absolutely tickled—and ready to share more of my personal story than ever before. In her new Her Best Life series, Olivia asks fellow writers "to share the choices and rituals that have shaped the lives they have today." For my guest post specifically, Olivia asked me to recount my move to Paris. I've already shared a little about my experience in an article I wrote last year for Business Insider. But when you're lucky enough to get commissioned by a big-name publication, it usually means you've got to stick to some very strick parameters—i.e., my love of the verbose and the over-explained was (understandably) trimmed down and the emotional factor kept to a minimum. But today, I get to reveal more shades of the story. THE SHORTLIST: A Merry Loner on Thriving in Your Own Company
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Very sincerely, Merry NOW GO ON YOUR MERRY WAY...👋 Questions? Comments? Salutations? I love to hear from you. Just hit REPLY and send me a note. 💌 Like these emails? Perhaps a friend would, too. Please FORWARD them this email. 🔔 Did someone forward you this email? Welcome to A Merry Loner, the blog that helps you learn to enjoy your own company. Sign up here to join the mailing list. |
A space to learn how to enjoy your own company and make life less scary and more exciting.
There are many benefits of solitude, but you have to give yourself the chance to sit there. It’s the tale as old as time: “I’m afraid I will die alone.” While such a worry often comes to us in more dire moments, like when a relationship dissolves or family ties begin to come undone, the fear of being alone also creeps its way into our everyday activities: going to a wedding alone; traveling alone; living alone; even celebrating Valentine’s Day alone. When we compare our inner circle to that...
When you’re confident and comfortable in your own company, it becomes easier to talk to strangers, reach out first, and make plans repeatedly. That’s what builds friendship, whether you’re moving to a new city or just facing a social dry spell. We are suffering from a loneliness epidemic. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you. Depending on whom you talk to, some might even tell you we’re suffering from a male loneliness epidemic, specifically. Whether we let men claim loneliness as their own...
Consider these quotes a chance to rub shoulders with unmet kindred spirits. It’s really impossible to avoid. No matter how many friends we have, how cherished we feel by our family, or the current state of our romantic entanglements, at the end of the day, we are all on our own. Being alone is something we can’t escape, though many people try. In moments of quiet, they rush to the screen to fill the void, staring at Reels that don’t interest them but are simply there. Or they swipe through...