October 29 – National Hermit Day

By

Michael Knox

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October 29, 2018

nPosted October 29, 2018

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nA hermit is a person who lives alone. Like, not someone who lives alone in an apartment or house in a city, but rather someone who lives alone in a remote wilderness region.

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nUsually, we use the word hermit for someone who lives in solitude as a part of his or her religious practice. And that brings us to why October 29 is Hermit Day:

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October 29 is one of the traditional feast days of Saint Colman Mac Duagh, a man who lived alone in a cave, fasting a good deal and praying even more. This Irish saint was a hermit, in the most common sense of the word, and today is his feast day – hence, National Hermit Day!

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Most of us never will – or want to – live in a cave for years and years, but we can still celebrate Hermit Day: we can consider using seclusion at least once in a while as a way to rest up from the normal busyness of our lives, the normal noise of our environments. Being alone – especially being alone in nature – could be important at least a few minutes a day, for some people, or for a few days a year, for others.

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Another way to get in tune with your inner hermit is to spend some time each day or each week with no TV, no social media, no smart phone, no computers or internet or video games. That break from electronic devices could be restful, even you aren’t actually alone in the wilderness or even alone in the house.

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nEither way, enjoy the quiet!

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