Solitude: the state of being or living alone; seclusion. A time and/or place to reflect, contemplate, meditate and review. Hopefully we understand the value of getting the opportunity of solitude and how it allows us to see beyond the superficialities of material life. Michel de Montaigne suggested in the 16th century that we need a “backshop”, as he called it. We have our ‘front shop’, which is all of our social, economic, familial and interpersonal relationships and interactions, but we also require a space in which we are not bound to put on an act and or dress and just be ourselves. Plato presented the separation of the body and the spirit with the body being temporary while the consciousness is eternal. Aristotle disagreed, and proposed that although there is a duality between the physical body and the mind, they are still ultimately one. Aristotle did not inherit the Academy, Plato’s school, and created his own, The Lyceum. These philosophical arguments will continue, but the body/mind duality will persist giving reflection and solitude a significant consideration. We are literally assaulted 24/7 in this Information Age, and need to develop daily habits to counteract the adverse effects of such an immersion. Experiment, try taking at least some time when you awake and some time before you take rest to contemplate who you are and what kind of person you want to be internally and externally… Of course, reflecting at any moment is priceless!