Adventures Alone without Being Lonely – There’s a difference between being lonely and being alone. Loneliness is emotional isolation where it seems your only companion is sadness. You don’t have to be physically by yourself to be lonely. You can be in a crowded room or, worse, in a failed relationship and still feel like a castaway marooned on a desert island.
Being alone is when you’re not in the company of other people. Either by circumstance or choice, you’re by yourself. Alone isn’t necessarily a negative thing. We all need some alone time to think, process emotions, and energetically recharge. Being alone can open the door to remarkable, life-enriching experiences. It’s natural to want to share amazing experiences with another person. However, sometimes you’re meant to have that experience, which can only happen because you’re alone.
Circumstances can lead to being alone when you least expect it. I was in Washington, D.C., on business, where workdays start early and go late into the night. After a week of meetings with politicians and attorneys, I politely declined an invitation to another two-hour “power-lunch.” The prospect of trying to eat while drowning in a sea of conversational subterfuge was hardly appetizing.
I walked along the Mall to the National Gallery of Art, one of the greatest art museums in the world. With limited free time, I couldn’t see much, but I couldn’t resist. One gallery in particular was packed with people. Then I saw why. There are less than 20 authenticated Leonardo da Vinci paintings in existence and this gallery featured the only one owned by the United States.
Leonardo da Vinci, one of humanity’s greatest geniuses, epitomized the Renaissance. He was a painter, sculptor, inventor, architect, engineer, and scientist. He designed a helicopter five centuries before the technology to construct one existed. Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man, which blends art, science, and faith, is a symbol of perfection, proportional harmony, and the divine interconnectedness of humanity with the universe.
The National Gallery’s Leonardo da Vinci was a portrait of a sixteen-year-old Ginevra de’ Benci painted on a two-sided wooden panel. It’s displayed on a pedestal in a secured glass case at the center of the gallery so both sides can be seen. The front is the portrait of Ginevra, the back a painting of her motto in Latin: “Virtutem Forma Decorat” (Beauty Adorns Virtue).
Although the walls of the gallery were adorned with paintings by other Renaissance masters, none equaled the expertise of Leonardo. As I gazed at the portrait, the gallery suddenly became as quiet as the sanctuary of a cathedral. Everyone had left. I was completely alone with a Leonardo da Vinci!
Transfixed by Ginevra de’ Benci, I drifted into a daydream state. As a medium, I recognized this sensation as the brainwave frequency shift that occurs during spirit communication. An intense and intelligent presence surrounded me. The time barrier of five centuries seemed to fade. I felt a very human connection between Leonardo and Ginevra. The maestro depicted a serene determination in her eyes, signifying she possessed a wisdom far beyond her years. The halo surrounding her head of juniper branches—which in Italian is “ginepro”—referenced her name, Ginevra. Leonardo’s expertise for detail revealed individual hairs in Ginevra’s glistening curls, which framed her youthful porcelain complexion. Ginevra may not be as famous as Leonardo’s enigmatic Mona Lisa, but she is no less magnificent.
My serenity shattered when a wave of people flooded into the gallery. Thinking all this transpired in only a few moments, my watch revealed I’d been alone there for over half an hour. Circumstances led me to being alone, which opened a brief window in time that granted me an audience with the work—and dare I say—the spirit of Leonardo da Vinci.
Being alone by choice can have unexpected consequences—such as encountering an alien being from another world. Years ago, I sailed to the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean aboard the tall sailing ship “Fantome.” After anchoring at the beautiful Isle de Saintes near Guadeloupe, I slipped away to go snorkeling by myself at a secluded coral reef. Because the reef was just a few feet below the surface, scuba tanks weren’t necessary, only a mask, snorkel, and fins.
This was the favorite Caribbean diving spot of the legendary scuba diver and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Immediately, I saw why. Shimmering rays of sunlight illuminated several schools of fish of all shapes and sizes, each school a different color of the rainbow. They darted through the labyrinth of living coral artfully dotted with sea anemones, sponges, and spiny urchins.
I may have been on earth, but I had entered an alien world filled with wondrous beauty and unusual beings. My euphoria was abruptly replaced by an eerie feeling that I was being watched by an alien intelligence. Barely 10 feet from me, I spotted a large Caribbean reef octopus staring at me from its perch on a massive coral formation. Its eight arms coiled close to its pulsating, bowling ball-sized head.
What species is more alien to a human than an octopus? Using jet propulsion, an octopus can move at incredible speed. It can shoot dark ink clouds to confuse predators. An octopus has nine brains, one in the head and one for each powerful arm. As an invertebrate, an octopus has no bones; it’s essentially an elastic being capable of expanding or contracting its body size and shape at will.
Fascinated, I moved in for a closer look. In a flash it jetted off the reef toward me, its eight arms extended outward like a giant spider. I’m 6 feet tall and outstretched, the octopus was at least four feet across. An octopus bite is venomous and if it grabbed my head, I’d be in trouble. Facing the octopus, I backed off calmly and struggled to keep my snorkel above the surface so I could breathe.
The octopus maneuvered itself between me and the coral formation—then I saw why. It was guarding a small nook filled with eggs. She was a mother protecting her unhatched babies.
We locked eyes and what I saw was intelligence. In that moment I realized we were actually communicating. We were sizing each other up and neither wanted a fight. Her message was clear—she wanted me out of there. I acknowledged and backed away.
Then, at lightning speed mother octopus shot an ink cloud toward me and jetted back to the reef, covered the nook, and instantly changed her skin’s color and texture to match that of the coral. This instantaneous camouflage was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed. The alien intelligence I encountered was not from outer space but rather the inner space of earth’s ocean. Had I been with a group of snorkelers, this wouldn’t have happened. The octopus would’ve detected the vibration of numerous people swimming and already camouflaged her den.
I chose to snorkel at this coral reef by myself. However, choices can be dangerous. This undersea encounter could’ve gone very badly. Never enter wilderness, whether aquatic or on land, by yourself.
Being alone can lead to adventures that could only occur because you are alone. And that adventure just might include an otherworldly presence revealing itself when you least expect it…
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