You are currently browsing the daily archive for January 29th, 2009.
“I hold this to be the highest task for a bond between two people: that each protects the solitude of the other.” Rainer Maria Rilke
When you share your home with other people, finding peaceful moments of solitude can sometimes be a challenge. No matter how much we love our famiy and friends, we all need some quiet time to ourselves every now and again.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have the house to myself for the last few days, and suddenly realize that it’s been several months since I’ve had the chance to sit quietly by myself. Until recently, I lived alone and spent entire days in quiet solitude, happily occupying myself with whatever little project struck my fancy. But life has a way of moving on, whether you want it to or not, and I’m learning to adjust to having people around all the time.
I had planned, during these few days alone, to catch up on work that had fallen behind. Instead, I found myself sitting quietly in the yard, feeling the fresh air on my skin and getting lost in the sounds and smells of a warm winter Florida day. I find that if I sit quietly for a little while, I begin to actually hear the sounds that escape me when my brain is full of things I need to remember and places I need to go. When I’m still, I can finally notice the delicate scent of the orange blossoms on my neighbor’s tree, and I have time to watch the kittens playing in the yard. When was the last time you were able to just sit quietly all by yourself for even a few minutes?
