A Room of One’s Own

A solo stay vacation reminded me what solitude can uncover—grief, clarity, and the quiet return to self

I booked a solo staycation at the Duke Mansion—just a few miles from my home in Charlotte. It was a gift, a pause, a quiet dare to step outside my routines. What began as a local escape turned into something much deeper: a reminder of who I used to be, what I still carry, and how healing often begins in stillness. This is a story about grief, beauty, an…