Early mornings or late nights are the best for me during the holidays. Getting up before the sun rises and turning on the Christmas tree, fixing a cup of coffee and just sitting and enjoying the lights and the quiet moment is gift enough for me. I also like the time "after everyone" has gone to bed to be alone and savor the moment. Solitude is not my enemy. I am surrounded by LOTS of people all day long...mostly in the 15-18 year old range. Talking is their hobby. So when I have a few uninterrupted moments, I treasure them.
I know people who can't bear to be alone. They must have constant companionship...if not the companionship of a person then at least the television helps bridge the silence. To me there is nothing better than a block of silence. In the summer, I go out on my backporch and sit, drink coffee and watch the birds. I have a small tabletop fountain that I turn on and the faint babble of water soothes the "beast".
Answering machines, email, computers, phones, tv's, cameras...constant interaction in a world where we are bombarded with signs, advertisements and every method of communication known to man! No matter how wonderful all that communication is please, think about the consequences that it produces. Once upon a time, a person could commit a faux pas and the entire earth didn't necessarily know about it in 15 minutes flat. Today, one slip up and you are a candidate for You Tube. I mentioned to coworkers today that all the "news" on Facebook is overwhelming...it's a great tool but it also has the drawback of your knowing every detail of hundreds of people's lives every day. For all the positives that lightning fast communication brings it also has negatives.
Remember the letter? You know that thing in the envelope that arrives with a stamp? Oh, how I loved to receive a letter (and still do.) It stood for something...somebody somewhere took the time to pick out stationery and get a pen and then dared to reveal their heart in writing to you. I long for letters. When I get a thank you note, it makes my day. Just the thought that somebody actually thought enough of me to send me their thoughts by snail mail thrills me. Oh, I know I'm a little nutty...but those of you old enough to remember receiving an honest to goodness handwritten letter understand. Maybe that's why handwritten Christmas cards mean so much. Little paragraphs inserted at the top or the bottom of the card mean a great deal.
Slow down this week...I know, I know...you have SO much to do...but get up just 15 minutes early one morning this week and savor the moment. Then once this week, write somebody a letter. You'll make their day, I promise you that.
4 comments:
I love the silence, too, and the early morning before anyone else is up. I get my coffee & my Bible and sit on my sunporch talking to God and looking out the windows at the birds, flowers & trees. I thank Him for all my blessings & ask for His help through another day. I have been a Christian since my early teens (74 now) & He has never once let me down or failed me. I have learned a lot of lessons in the silence but rarely have I learned anything of value in the noise!
i had always despised silence and quiet times...until i became a mother. now, i crave and enjoy those few minutes here and there, to just listen to nothing, maybe drink some coffee...love it! we have a tv, but only to watch movies sometimes. we have surprisingly loved not having "tv" in our lives these last few years!
angela, i need your mailing address! i love writing "real" letters and spend a boatload on stamps monthly to support my habit! i'd love to write you!
xo
So glad I have kindred spirits out there who understand...NO NOISE is BETTER!! Love to you both.
I love the peace and quiet, too! When it is warm enough for me to walk in the mornings, I talk with the Lord and enjoy all of nature! I miss the days of being able to talk with your loved ones, without tv and them not talking on the cell phone, texting on the cell phone or doing whatever else they do on the cell phone. It is really a shame! I guess those days are gone! At my house, when we eat or visiting I insist all of this is off!
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