This moment has unfolded to be an unexpected time of tranquil restoration in a hectic and emotionally traumatizing week. As I sorted through pictures in a somewhat frantic manner, looking for something to blog about this one stopped me with a moment of calm.
It looks so blissful. As I began to type I realized that the keystrokes seemed louder than usual, as if they were screaming at me with each click. I stopped for a moment, staring at my screen, and finally realized there wasn't a single sound surrounding me. I am at home, in the middle of a neighborhood usually very heavy with traffic, neighbors, children squealing, and the three construction projects in my immediate vicinity. Yet today, at this moment, not a sound.
It struck me how sad it is that it is now the quiet I noticed, instead of the chaos. We have become so comfortable with the world around us that the blissfulness of this quiet seemed out of place and I was a bit uncertain what to do with it. I know it won't last so I stopped to treasure it a bit before typing resumed.
It made me feel responsible for sharing this time with you. I felt like I was now charged with bringing you all into a time like this, to ask you to find a moment to put yourself in a "time out" and listen for the quiet or watch for the physical beauty that surrounds you. Like this tulip photo, is there something you can see right now to let wash over you and bring you some bliss?
It's okay to stop every now and then, to pause for a moment of reflection or solitude. We are strongest when we take the time for balance in our lives. Go take a peek outside and see what awaits you. I guarantee everything will still be waiting for you when you get back.
Thank you for the reminder to stop and just BE. We actually live an hour from a town in the woods on a lake and it is so quiet I can barely remember the cacophony (sp?) of town living.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
I remember when my family moved to the semi-rural suburbs in NJ and I was living in NYC. Manhattan is so loud all of the time and you get used it. When I visited my family it was so quiet I could actually hear the blood moving through my head. That's what it seemed like anyway.
ReplyDeleteKathy - that sounds so delightful. We are in the midst of dreaming of moving to a place like that and wondering if we would adapt. I wish there was a trial run we could do! Sounds so lovely where you are.
ReplyDeleteDonna - You had me laughing. That happens when we visit my parents also!