Life has been extremely loud around me lately. A lot of drama in Martha’s family so someone is always at my house crying. We are in the local political season which makes for chaos at work. Friend’s lives are in upheaval. My sister emails or calls me 15 times a day over the upcoming court case against my brother. A close colleague is going through a difficult divorce - a lot of yelling and cursing. Beaner was home for fall break, along with quite a few friends, so my house was overly energetic. And we babysat a bit with a teething baby. Oy. Too much noise!
But I have learned how important it is for me to keep things in balance, so to counteract the maelstrom, I found ways this week for some quiet time.
1. Seeing a stunningly gorgeous production of The Sleeping Beauty.
The music, the dance . . . so good for my soul. And of course the heroine slept a lot which I found very inspiring : )
2. Lying quietly outside on the ground with my dog . . . lazily watching the leaves fall. (Except for the occasional enemy leaf that had to be attacked) Better than meditation.
3. Taking a gentle bike ride here.
4. Taking an afternoon stroll here.
5. Building a fire in the backyard fire pit and staring at the stars.
I would love to run away into the woods for a few days, but even that has become impossible (which is really unfortunate because the weather has been absolutely perfect) So I am really grateful that I have so much beauty all around me that I can enjoy, if only with little stolen slices of time.
4. Taking an afternoon stroll here.
5. Building a fire in the backyard fire pit and staring at the stars.
I would love to run away into the woods for a few days, but even that has become impossible (which is really unfortunate because the weather has been absolutely perfect) So I am really grateful that I have so much beauty all around me that I can enjoy, if only with little stolen slices of time.
Thank you for always reminding me to slow down and that the beauty you always see is there for everyone, if we just take a little time to look.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am happily discovering that it doesn't require all that much time to reboot.
DeleteOh, I love that bike patch! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhy can't you run away for a few days? Even one day would probably feel so amazing.
Even if you don't, I'm glad you are able to find "stolen slices of time" within your daily life!
Mostly because I have taken so much time off already, plus my hiking partner has been dealing with some serious family illness. But I will get back out there before the snow flies. Still, the universe has given us a spectacular autumn just outside the window.
DeleteI love the idea of lying on the ground with the dog! And the dog must love it as well...
ReplyDeleteI read a book recently, "Seeking Peace, Chronicles of the world's worst Buddhist" by Mary Pipher (author of "Reviving Ophelia") and one thing she said really resonated with me. "I need three things to be happy: books, time alone in nature, and to be around the people I love." Or something like that. Reminded me of you, 8. :-)
xoxo
I am not even embarrassed to say that I would give up the books for chocolate. Yep - chocolate, nature, people I love. It makes for a beautiful life.
DeleteDon't you think that the world in general has gotten louder with everyone screaming their opinions? I can't even watch the news anymore and I have stepped away from the internet for the most part. Seeking solace in nature is not my thing, but yes to finding quiet places just to turn off the noise.
ReplyDeleteYes, and I think that everyone feels they have to yell even louder to be heard over everyone else. Someone once said to me - opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one. But do we need to actually hear all of them? Turn off the noise - I think it may be my new mantra.
DeleteWhen my son was a youngster this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vRiA91O14U was one of his favorite cartoons: This is just a portion, but you get the idea. :-) The land has gotten incredibly loud. I don earplugs whenever possible during my commutes these days. Love the bike path. Love.
ReplyDeleteOh I smiled at that cartoon. I was always "yelling" at my family to be quiet so I could sleep.
DeleteI walk to work but it is along two major highways so I always listen to music on the way. I'd rather listen to the birds but the traffic drowns them out. *sigh*
Because of the dress code I can't even consider riding my bike to work, would love to especially during the best of the autumn days. Soon it will be much too cold and possibly too icy to consider.
DeleteThe noise from the trains or even traffic hardly registers. But, the noise from people? OY! Too MUCH!
Great suggestions for escaping the external noise but I can't escape all the noise in my head. Any suggestions for that?
ReplyDeleteThey say meditation is good for that but I always sucked at it. Music is usually my first choice when trying to turn down my internal chatter. Especially oldies. I get singing and grooving and they bring me back to good times.
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