In college, we have very little time that is solitary. We see our friends every hour, we live in close quarters and we spend all day with people whether they are in our classes, at our internships or the places we choose to do our homework. We go to bed at 1 a.m. surrounded by people and we wake up at 8 a.m. just the same. We are at an age where we live within and thrive on constant community.
I love my friends, and I very rarely find myself to be totally alone. However, every now and then, I feel the need for distance, composure and peace. That being said, I do not like for my solitary time to appear exclusively solitary, and I do not want it to be prolonged. What I mean by this is that I still want to be active and engaged, but I want to be both of these things by myself.
Over the past three years, I have perfected my solitary routine. Every few weeks, I take myself on an hour long drive. Sometimes I have an end point in mind (to drive somewhere and back) or sometimes I simply wind around aimlessly. Regardless of the mode, I drive around for one hour, completely alone. Well, not completely; I am often accompanied by a playlist that coincides with my mood at the time of my drive. Sometimes it's angry, and other times it is quite calm, but it usually is music that filters out and sorts the thoughts that I have been painfully trying to work through.
On my last solitary drive, I created a playlist that was not particular to any specific mood, but instead was a playlist that I think could provide the background music to any thought, feeling or action. As I drove around and listened, I was continually shocked and surprised that each song was exactly the one that I wanted and needed to hear, and how fitting the songs would be in any setting at any time. I named the playlist "All-Knowing," and I hope that it is as mood-neutral and thought-generating for you as it was (and will continue to be) for me.
The All-Knowing Playlist
1. "Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes" -- Paul Simon
2. "Why" -- Tracy Chapman
3. "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" -- Elvis Costello
4. "Message in a Bottle" -- The Police
5. "Typical World" -- Will & The Bushmen
6. "Midnight Train to Georgia" -- Gladys Knight & The Pips
7. "Blackbird" -- The Beatles
8. "Overdue" -- Jillian Jacqueline
9. "Green Mountain State" -- Trevor Hall
10. "Suzanne" -- Leonard Cohen
11. "Homeward Bound" -- Simon & Garfunkel
12. "Sunshine on My Shoulders" -- John Denver
13. "Instant Karma" -- John Lennon
14. "Everywhere" -- Fleetwood Mac
15. "Amie" -- Pure Prairie League
16. "Somewhere Only We Know" -- Keane
17. "When The Stars Go Blue" -- Tim McGraw
18. "You Are Your Mother's Child" -- Conor Oberst
19. "The General" -- Dispatch
20. "Something in the Way She Moves" -- James Taylor
