Simple Silence

Appreciating the small things – a bowl of freshly picked strawberries, a hawk flying overhead, a quiet house. I think my chances to solve bigger issues in my life improve when I stop to enjoy the little things.

I love to return from a u-pick berry farm with rosy-stained fingers from all the strawberry juice. Before I clean the berries, I take a couple minutes to sit down with a bowl of plump, juicy fruit. I crunch the tiny seeds between my teeth and enjoy the perfectness of the occasion. It could have occurred yesterday or a hundred years ago. It’s natural, organic.

One winter morning a few years ago we drove to Columbus, which is about 30 miles away. There are lots of open fields, and sparkly white snow covered the ground and fence line. We counted 23 hawks in about a 20-minute time span. Was it the snow that made the birds easy to spot, were they taking advantage of the good hunting conditions, or was I paying closer attention? Regardless, I felt lucky. It reminded me that I am part of something much bigger than just me and any problems du jour.

Quiet. There was a time that I would sooner poke pencils in my eyes than to sit in a room by myself with no distractions. Are you kidding me? Turn on the radio, blast the TV, get some noise in here! I’m an extrovert; I am invigorated when I’m in the presence of others, not to be confused with sucking the life-energy from those around me! However, when I learned to embrace the quiet, I began to really listen.

I haven’t totally figured out what I’m listening to. Sometimes I wonder if this inner dialogue is the precursor to mental illness. I’m not sure I should want to invite the voices home to stay, but I think I’m safe for the moment. Mine usually tell me to sit down, shut up for a minute and stop being so bitchy. I imagine the OTHER ones have sinister motives. I’ll keep you posted!

The quiet gives me time to figure out what I need to do to take care of myself. I connect to something deep within. I hesitate to call it spiritual or God because quite frankly that freaks me out. To go “there” clutters my head with too many preconceived beliefs I grew up with concerning organized religion and that is not the purpose.

Whatever this quiet is, it makes me stretch and encourages me to be a better person. Getting to this state makes it easier to make simple day-to-day decisions that help me maintain the physical shell that I’ve worked so hard at fine-tuning.

As I sit back and enjoy these simple pleasures, it creates a space in which I want to reside. When I WANT to be in this place, it is easier to make positive choices. This state of being grows, and I believe it affects my relationship with those around me. The trick is to figure out a way to keep this snowball rolling!

Cheers!

Pick a Place

Do you know where your happy place is? I don’t want to know if it involves the gutter, but I have been giving it some thought this evening.

I came home from work pretty grouchy. I worked longer than I intended so I didn’t exercise while I waited on Russell to finish lacrosse practice. By the time we picked Lyle up at work, I was tired and cranky. I found myself disagreeing with everything either one of them said. Thankfully, I kept my mouth shut, which was a miracle. Letting something go without comment is not on my list of positive attributes!

As soon as we reached the home front, I grabbed my MP3, cranked it as loud as possible and headed out the door for a walk. I bopped to the music, squinted at the sun and smelled the burgers on the grills in our neighborhood! Finally, I felt like I actually wanted to return home.

I returned in a much better space. Lyle grilled chicken and I sautéed asparagus, baked potatoes and tossed salads. My belly was full and my head was clear, and I finally rolled around in a little bit of contentment – a place where I could truly appreciate my family.

That is the space I like to reside, but more often than I care to admit I find that I have to intentionally travel to this calm space. Should gratitude be calculated? I watch a lot of people; I like to see how people interact with their environment and the people around them. Some individuals seem to be perfectly comfortable with maintaining a peaceful state of gratitude. It appears to come naturally. Are they just better at flipping the happy switch? Do they practice? Am I flubbing something?

I’m too sarcastic and realist to expect to live in a state of nirvana; however, I think I need to put a little more effort into flipping the switch. Practice makes perfect, right? What takes you to your happy place and how do you stay there?