Do not rely completely on any other human being, however dear. We meet all life’s greatest tests alone.” -Agnes Macphail

不要完全依赖另一个人，无论他/她有多么珍贵。生活中的考验，我们只能独自经历。——加拿大首位女性议员艾格尼丝·麦克菲尔

I have found that the more time I spend alone, the more comfortable I become in my own skin because I can truly get to know myself. This provides me with more patience to accept myself as I am, wherever I am in my journey, on a daily basis.

我发现独处的时间越长，我越觉得舒服、放松和自信，因为这样我可以认识真正的自己。这让我每天都有更多的耐心来接受自己，接受自己在生活旅途中的位置。

This lesson was something I learned after spending a summer alone in Italy with a family friend.

这堂人生课是我独自一人在意大利学到的，当时我在一位世交朋友家里度过了一个夏天。

I embarked on the journey, turning off my phone for the first time, well, probably ever. I would be jetting all over America then landing in a country with a family basically unknown to me.

我踏上旅途，次关上了手机，嗯，这么多年来次。我在美国上方飞来飞去，然后降落在一个国家，和一家基本上不认识的人生活在一起。

It wasn’t until two years after I returned that I wished I had spent more time living in the moment while experiencing the greatest adventure of my life. I was not comfortable enough in my own skin to truly be present in the magical moments presenting themselves in a foreign country.

直到我回来两年后，我才希望当时要是我能有更多的时间活在当下，经历人生中的冒险就好了。当时我不够放松、自信，无法在一个陌生的国家，在那样神奇的时刻，把它们展现出来。

My mind stayed distracted as I wondered what people were thinking of me, and what I would post online to my friends back home.

当我在想我在人们心中是什么样子，当我在想回家后我会在网上发布什么内容时我就会分神。

At 19 years old, it seemed much more important to capture photos to upload to social media. The Internet was a crutch for me to not feel so alone in an unknown territory. As brave as I was to be completely alone in my adventure, I had a thousand people to “connect” with on my lonely nights!

19岁时对我来说，拍摄照片并把它们传到社交媒体上要更为重要。互联网对我来说是个拐杖，能让我在未知的领域中不会感觉到那么孤独。和我独自一人冒险时一样勇敢，在孤独的夜晚，我有一千人可以去“交流”。

Two years later I realized that I could have filled my days with activities for growth.

两年后，我意识到，我可以用有助于自己成长的活动来填满日子。

I now wish I had traveled to nearby cities, spent my days reading in a cafe, tried acupuncture—anything out of the ordinary.

现在我希望我能游遍附近的城市，把时间用在在咖啡馆里阅读、尝试针灸——任何与众不同的东西上。

The truth was I didn’t have the hobbies I have now. The trip did help me grow, but I regret that I could not simply enjoy the moments, instead of wanting thousands of others to see I was enjoying them.

事实上，我现在的爱好以前都没有。旅行确实帮我成长，但我后悔当时我没能享受当下的时光，而是去让成千上万个人看着我在享受。

I discovered that if I want to be happy, it would be my own doing. Happiness is an interior process and comes without validation from others.

我发现如果我想要开心，那是我自己的事情。幸福是内心的过程，不需要得到别人的认可。

This is something that is a lesson to be relearned each day.

这是我每天都要再次重新学习的人生课。

Spending small moments of time alone—sans phone, tablet, laptop, TV, and radio—allows one to really tune in. We need to ask ourselves things like: What is my body telling me today? How do I feel today?

用碎片时间进行独处——关掉手机、平板电脑、笔记本、电视和收音机——允许自己真正地进行调整。我们需要问问自己：我的身体今天告诉我什么？今天感觉如何？

There are all kinds of things we can do to enjoy our alone time, some of them very simple. I enjoy my shower, my yoga practice, and the scenic drive home, all without communication to the exterior world. This helps me to really absorb my practice and just “be.” I find it helpful to journal, old fashion style, with a pen and paper after this little escape.

我们可以做很多事情来享受独处的时光，有些事情非常简单。我喜欢淋浴，喜欢瑜伽练习，喜欢在开车回家的路上看秀丽的风 景，这些都不需要和外部世界联系。这能帮我真正消化自己的所做所为，仅仅安静的待着。我发现在这种小小的消遣之后，用在纸上用笔写日记这样古老的方式很有帮助。