Quiet ~ ness
September 15, 2012 * * * * * Posted by: Susan 
It’s a very noisy world that most of us live in. Some are lucky enough to be able to find pockets of silence in their days, some may not even desire a break from the noise, may not even notice it, and then there are those of us who get a little bit stressed and grouchy with constant loudness.
After this summer I am craving peace and quiet, I feel like I may have to go searching for it. When I was a kid it could be found by climbing up into the trees. During some big family get togethers, the empty back seat of anyone's car would do and there was, thankfully, the library.
I’ve always been aware of this and accept it about myself, lovingly. I’m just not a happy camper when I don’t get a bit of quiet time. I don’t believe it has anything to do with living longer (getting older) ...
just that we all have an internal way of being and moving thru our day.
Something else I’ve become aware of is how wonderful and amazing it is to be able to share another’s world, quietly, thru words and images here, as I sit at the computer. I can breathe deeply as I gaze at a beloved lake and learn of all the different birds that live there ~ I can walk thru forests and gardens, I can even visit Africa! I can pretend that the beautiful windmills are in my own neighborhood, the geese doing a ballet on the pond are a block away from my own front door.
Another quiet pleasure, of course, are the books that take you on a journey. Right now I’m reading one called The Orchardist and even though the story is a little dark it’s easy to give myself over to the descriptive words of life in the late 1800's on the windswept bluffs of the Pacific Northwest, walking among the plum and apricot orchards. This is a part of the country that I’d really love to experience ~ and I’m always wondering where our next destination could be. Hopefully it will be a place with quiet moments, and trees, always trees.
Reader Comments (17)
Oh yes. Quiet (but heartfelt) applause from this corner. Thank you. Quiet times are a necessity in my life. The more the better. Most often found outside and alone. Bliss
I understand this completely and it sums up the way I often feel. Here is a little verse that I wrote on the subject.
Peace and Quiet
Oh where is the silence, I quietly scream
The noise crowds, in like a horrible dream
The music is blaring,
The motors are running,
Oh where is the silence where I can be me?
Oh where is the quiet, where I can unwind
In peace on my own, letting my mind
Go free to unravel,
To fly and to travel
Oh where is the quiet to enjoy being me?
Oh where is the peace, the space for creating
Without people shouting, talking and laughing,
A place to be free
With no-one but me
Oh where is the peace, my masterpiece time?
How special to read Sheila's poem on the heels of your post, Susan, speaking to the yearning in perhaps all of us for peace and quiet. You and I often talk about the bridges we have to each other, and climbing trees to get away is now another. With 10 people in my family growing up, I had to climb my one special tree often! Sometimes I even climbed to the flat roof of our free-standing garage, where I wrote letters by moonlight! :)
I'm one of those who can't stand background noise (radio and TV) when no one is listening to it. Strangely, however, when Astrid is home and turns on gentle background music, that's better than okay because I've already been filled up with silence.
Did I mention that dog? OMG! He is the pure essence of quiet-ness! If only he could be bottled up!
I know so well this need for quiet - the escape from internal as well as external noise.
How beautiful that Sheila has offered up a poem in response. What a wonderful sharing and caring world this is!!!
I love the quiet time. I find it here at our get away place for the weekends, our cabin. Last night we went to bed with the windows open and about 11 pm the soft drizzle of rain started on the metal roof. It lulled me to a peaceful night of rest and awakened me this early morning continuing it's soft pelting. No television, just the sound of the outdoors. Awww, it's going to be a great day here in drought-stricken Oklahoma as you can almost hear the trees and plants and the wildlife drink in the much needed rain. Have a great day and quiet time. Carla - Jill of All Trades!
I love coming here, to V&V, so that I can do just what you mentioned, Susan, and that is to view other places in this beautiful world. Your words leave me with a peacefulness, as though the quiet you value so deeply has come through in your words.
And Sheila's poem just fits perfectly in all this.
This is a wonderful start to my day!
I'm clearly captivated by my computer and all it brings to me, as well. Such a well written post and wonderful doggy image.
in addition to the dog, the idea of the post, the comments and poem have been wonderful to read this morning with coffee.
may you have all the quiet you need today...and maybe tomorrow!
One of the best days of my life was the day I realized I didn't have to go "out there" to find silence. I could create it. Now, I live without television, electronic gadgets and social media. Of course I find news on the internet, listen to Pandora radio from time to time, and can watch a film on my computer if I wish. But I'm in control.
Not so very long after making those changes, I began to realize the same dynamic could work in other areas. Now, for example, I stay away from gossips. I don't read blogs that are snarky, nasty or worse. And while I love conversation over dinner or a glass of wine, the thought of "going out for drinks" in a bar with a group intent only on drinking doesn't rate nearly as high on my list as a night out dancing.
The new project is interior silence. It's not always so easy to deal with worries, jealousies and angers. The number of conversations I've had in my head over the past days with people posting about events in the mideast is truly pathetic - especially since they do no good and only get me worked up. Got to work on that one!
Susan, your words relate with me. I'm also someone who needs the quiet time during the day, and most times I find it outside as well. The best time of my day is when I can hangout in my hammock and listen to the birds and the wind in the trees. I'm still in awe when I find places of complete silence - usually somewhere in nature far away from roads. It takes some effort to get there, but it is so worth it.
I too need to have pockets of silence, they are totally essential.
I so agree with the way you put this Susan - that we can quietly enjoy reading others' words and viewing beautiful photographs - visiting from our laptops. Maybe that's why I so enjoy blogging and internet friends. I love my quiet time too. If I'm around too much noise or too many people for long stretches - it's exhausting to me.
And beautiful to read Sheila's poem too.
I love music, but what I love even more is quiet. If I'm driving (which is rare) I don't listen to the radio...I'm lost in my thoughts. For some crazy reason I love the sounds of the city...and at the same time the sounds in a wooded area. The world makes its own sounds...why do we need to add more?
I too have always needed quiet and silence in my day. For a long time, I felt that something was wrong with me because of it. But now I understand that it is an essential part of who I am. It is always good to connect with a kindred soul.
When I read an article that explained that extroverts get their energy from being with people and introverts get their energy from the quiet time you talk about, it finally made sense to me that although I love to get together with people, it exhausts me, and I need to follow up social time with alone time to recharge. I smiled at your mention of climbing trees, which is no longer an option, instead I can escape to my garden shed. But when I was a kid, I had a favorite tree in my parents backyard that had a spot where I could put a book, notebook, and pen. I read, wrote and pretended I was in the jungle up there.
Wonderful post and photo and I've enjoyed the comments a great deal as well. Thank you for a great start to my Sunday. Now that I'm recharged, I'm off to get ready to go trail riding with friends. Yee haw!
Yes, I am the same. I get anxious and irritated when I don't have enough quiet, alone time. I am blessed enough to work from home, and that in itself gives me much of what I need. And you are so right, the internet is a blessing for us introverts, allowing us to see so much of the world that our inner nature would have prevented in the past. Hermits, unite!
I literally 'laughed out loud' at Kelly's comment, "Hermits, unite!" Right on, sista! Sounds like V&V might have a new motto! Your post, Susan, quietly perfect.