Being alone causes you to think more. To ponder life more voraciously. To talk out loud to God.
My grandfather's passing has effected me in such a deep and penetrating way--realizing the frailties of life, appreciating family more than ever, earnestly trying to be less self-centered. None of this 'stuff' that we crave is lasting. How apparent it seems right now. How much more fulfilling to concentrate on--and live, and live again--the things that truly matter.
As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.
-Henry David Thoreau
Solitude is perhaps the best teacher. Solitude, and the death of a loved one.