What's sweeter than my solitude? (by Alya Mooro)

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Firstly thank you so much to the amazing reaction you gave me to last week’s newsletter. In terms of the volume of messages, it was probably the one I had the biggest reaction to. Please accept my apologies if I haven’t replied yet. I am getting to you! It seems a lot of you resonated with what I said and have felt exactly what I felt. Thank you for making me feel not alone in this. I’ll do more on the subject in future.

Today it’s guest writer time and I am excited to say the amazing Alya Mooro, a journalist and the author of The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes agreed to let me republish this personal essay which appeared in her own newsletter this week. I read the first few lines and knew immediately that you all should read it too. It’s just lovely. I also love the quotes she has included.

This line really stood out for me: “[I] have collected numerous habits which feel like jewels of aloneness, rituals with which I romance myself.” I absolut…