Solace and Solitude
Illustration by Hellie Cartledge
When the sun has set and the streets have quieted down, sometimes all you want while staring up at the ceiling in the dark of your one-bedroom apartment is someone to slow dance with. Other times you are perfectly content, and maybe even glad, to rock out to blasted music on your own. One hour you wish for a warm hand to hold in the face of impending loneliness. One hour you relish in that loneliness as liberation.
This playlist is dedicated to the frustrating dichotomy of living by and with yourself. It's a quiet celebration of being content with solitude—perhaps a touch melancholier than what you could comfortably sit with, but sometimes melancholy could still incite a smile and some release. In the face of solitude, you can relish a little in the sadness. You can linger on nostalgia and past intimacy, but know that it’s perfectly fine to slow dance by yourself, too (Billie Holiday seemed to know this well). These songs invite you to stare straight into the eyes of that introspection and delicately hold its hands. Don't be afraid to lean a little into the fear of its indulgence and consumption. The solitude is not so scary if you can learn to cherish it. Inside, you can find moments of tranquility and hopefully some inspiration. It can also remind you just how much the warmth of others means to you, and that warmth is also not as far away as you imagine.
Share this playlist with people you love in the strange dimension of long-distance proximity. Or hold it close to you—just you—and find some solace in that, too.