Many people find this hard to understand. In a world where everyone is expected to accept and accommodate individual preferences and differences, people who prefer doing things themselves are too often considered social heretics. Unless they can offer what is considered a reasonable explanation for wanting to be alone, they risk earning labels like anti-social or hermit.

A few years back, when I spent a mid-winter week in a remote Wisconsin cabin solely in the company of books and my Newfoundland, Jake, a co-worker dubbed me Ted Kaczynski, aka the infamous Unabomber. Save for our unkempt hair and beards; the similarity ends there. I took a breather from work to catch up on some leisurely reading and walking with Jake in the snowy woods, and Ted spent his time brooding over technology and plotting ways to kill people.

I could explain my solo trips by claiming to be an introvert.

I am.

I know because I was forced to take one of those corporate psychological inkblot tests, share the results publicly, and then wear it like a branded steer with a rancher’s mark burned into its hide. The difference between me and one of those branded cows is they got to go on their merry way grazing and dozing, while my brand was waved in my face by people who couldn’t believe I didn’t agree with their brilliant idea, so it had to be because I was one of those.

I might say I need to be alone because of anxiety.

Which I have.

A counselor told me. I sought their advice after spending too many years wondering why I could speak in front of hundreds of people without a problem but had to sit in the parking lot psyching myself up to walk into work in the morning like I was headed for a root canal without anesthetic. They recommended meds and looking for a new line of work. Running a bait shop didn’t pay as well, so I just took the meds.

I’m sure the combination of the two contributes to my preferring my own company. But I do really like spending time alone. I always have.

Growing up, one of my favorite television characters was Lenny, of Lenny and Squiggy fame, from Laverne and Shirley. Not so much for the character, but the name on the back of his jacket. Lone Wolf. I coined that as my CB handle in the 70s.

Breaker 1-9. Anyone got their ears on?

Although I treasure time with my wife, family, and friends, there are times I like being alone. To read, write, fish, listen to music, take a walk, watch a movie in a movie theatre, wander the aisles of a store, enjoy a meal in a restaurant, have a drink at a bar, or simply think. Even at times when I could easily reach out to any number of people to join me in some of these.

Since I retreated from the corporate cacophony of meetings, buzzwords, and committees, I spend most of my time reading, researching, and writing. Alone.

And I love it.

But I don’t live in isolation.

While in Montana, I shared a meal with friends and fished a few days with one. When I'm not there, I relish the company of my wife and family, I join up with friends to share stories and laughs, and I get pleasure and satisfaction from sitting on the boards of three non-profits, which come with their fair share of meetings and social interactions.

One afternoon during my trip, I stopped in a local saloon in my adopted hometown of Ennis to unwind with a beer, some chicken wings, and a book on my phone's Kindle app. Another patron at the bar, who I purposely sat three seats away from when I entered, couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to engage in a prolonged conversation with him about his spiritual interpretation of a mountain in Wyoming, his observations of the differences between fishing the wilds of Alaska versus the west, and the evils of social media. When I told Chris the story, she suggested I think of a better line to extricate myself from these situations versus the one I finally resorted to in this one. Although he required a heavier approach, I agree with her that taking the Lord’s name in vain and covering a fair amount of the seven words George Carlin said you couldn’t say on television shouldn't be my go-to.

I think I have a solution.

In this understanding world where everyone is encouraged to freely express who they are, and no one can openly object or condemn them, those who like being alone should be warmly accepted. Without having to explain why.

Does anyone care to join me on this?

I’m just kidding.

Leave me alone.