I have been reading everything I can find about hermits and eremites. I have been searching for stories about women hermits. There are fewer stories about them than there are men. I am fascinated by the stories of people who choose solitude. The reasons why people choose a solitary life interest me. There are social reasons and economic reasons. There are religious and philosophical reasons. It’s all so fascinating. I am puzzling over why some people are threatened by the idea of other people choosing a solitary life.

Of course, there are varying degrees of solitude and many reasons people seek it out. Some people just require short periods of time away from others to work or recalibrate. Part time hermits. Ha! Others choose to live off the grid or up a tree or in a cave. Some spend their whole lives trying to avoid other humans. Some are monks or nuns. Some are poets. Some are ecologists. Some are unwell. Some have chosen this way of life because they see the rest of the world as unwell.

I have a lot more research to do on this topic…