Came across this today, on the topic of the upsides of solo time ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/11/being-alone-6-reasons-to-_n_2456462.html
p.s. Above photo is from Surf N Sea in Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu, where my middle daughter had her first surf lesson this week (conquering a laundry list of fears), and I graduated from foamboard to epoxy (comfort zones, be damned). New is scary, we learned, but also very, very good. We refueled at Konos where the locals have honed their own rhythm.