solitude and growth.

being on the quarter system means that i'm alone while all my friends are gone and enjoying college. it's kind of crazy to me that most of them have already been in college for an entire month now. and in this solitude, I've really learned to enjoy my own company. this is complete juxtaposition from summer when i was spending every second with friends, and now, when everyone's gone, it's made me realize that i kind of forgot to focus on ME for the last 3 months. thankfully, i think this last month has really made up for it. I've been working like crazy recently; probably coding for at least 9 hours (?) a day. and through this solitude and work, I've realized that growth only happens during times of self reflection and solitude. sure, being around friends is fulfilling in a lot of senses, but true growth happens when you take time to just think about yourself. contextualize yourself within your environment and within your community, nd really see yourself grow and expaond to fit into it. for me at least, this contextualizing only occurs when i'm alone. now, i'm def not saying that my friends are a distraction, but i think being alone really brings out a different, and dare i say, better side of you. you're not looking to impress anyone; everything that you are doing is strictly for you. and when you direct this much focus to yourself, growth naturally follows along. the only plants that grow are the ones that you water. so really, it's a balance between watering the relationships with your friends and watering the plant of your own personal growth. and finding this balance is what makes us, us.