I need great periods of solitude to keep me balanced. Just because I enjoy solitude doesn’t mean I’m lonely or that I’m anti-social. I enjoy other peoples company but I do not need the constant company of others. I believe people tend to misunderstand me because of that and tend to ask “don’t you get lonely?” I find myself having to explain that solitude is different than loneliness, expecially when it’s self imposed solitude that one enjoys.

Solitude:  The state of being alone

Loneliness: Affected with, characterized by, or causing a depressing feeling of being alone.