"I've begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own."
I grew up in a household where my parents were older and my brothers were quite a bit older than me. As a result, I have a wide range of music and reading tastes, but I remember spending a lot of time by myself, in the quiet. So, when I met and married my husband, who is one of seven, holidays radically changed. The noise level of that first Christmas was almost overwhelming, with nieces and nephews all around.
I still spend a lot of time by myself, with hubby and I working different schedules. To tell the truth, that may be why we've been married over twenty years. We share a love of music and we've opened each others' eyes to different music genres and artists. This Sunday morning was spent in one of my favorite ways--reading the paper and listening to some classic jazz. He went to visit his folks and now I'm listening to our cable music service, discovering some new tunes and artists, while I write. But, silence is good too.
Life is good.
I've been trying to get more sleep and I think that's one of the things that helps my attitude in general. I highly recommend it, as well as making time to laugh.
Most definitely. We need warmth and comfort. And occasional quiet.
Something to focus on for some deep breathing and meditation is good too. I'm thinking about finding another yoga class, for exercise and stress relief. What do you do to give you that relaxation you need?
My husband teases me that I inherited my father's ability to fall asleep almost anywhere. I have been known to nod off sitting up, with the light shining in my eyes and the TV blaring, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fit in a file folder.
I have to admit, sometimes I have to force myself to be more like my cats and shut my brain down to relax.
Though sometimes it doesn't quite work that way.
Prayer helps. I've had to realize quite a few times over the past few weeks that I need to ask for help.
And it's important to have friends who will listen. And finally,
We're all just works in progress, my friends. Love to all and have a great week!
Julee, what lovely treasures you've found this week! I'm going to hijack "Fascination." For me, the shoe is on the other foot: I have an affinity for and abundance of solitude. I need to be reminded that hanging out with friends is not optional.
ReplyDeleteI love that 'file cat', precious. We inherited Dad's sleep abilitys, I got it too. But I must concentrate with no sound, thats another thing after stroke. Yes we had differrent music but NOW I love silence. Say hi for Chris.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff, Julee! I'm still working on improving my sleep habits and learning how to relax deeply. Meditation definitely helps. And there's nothing like a serious bout with strep throat to get a girl to catch up on her sleep. Let's hope it doesn't come to this next time!
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