Silence

"The morning sun, the new sweet earth, and the great silence" -TC McLuhan

Silence, is there silence in a city? In the middle of the night? In the early morning? At dusk? I don't think so.  And I'm really aware of noise today.  I went to put the bins out for collection and huddled behind a bush is a baby possum, obviously fallen from a branch or a wire.  It is trying to make itself smaller than small.  And I hear every noise in our street, aware that each one is probably making this little creature more & more scared.  The garbage truck roaring & screeching &clanking, my neighbour driving nails into the new cladding on his walls, the saw going on the new house up the street, our dogs barking.  All noises that I normally wouldn't hear at all, but that I am super-sensitive to, aware that the possum is probably hearing them all only too acutely.  So, no picnic in the park today, but a wait until animal rescue come.  Soon I hope.

A Place of Calm

"Even in the heart of a city there can be a place of calm. Doors shut and curtains closed, a light against the dark, [surrounded] by dear, accustomed things, we can withdraw and find ourselves again" Pam Brown (1928-)

After the urgent rush and bustle, the anxiety, that creating a happy Christmas creates, the sudden calm, the still waters of the following days are balm for the soul.  These few days leading up to New Year, when most business is still closed, when people are away, life takes on a calmness, slows down. I take time for things that make me happy, sewing, reading, cooking satisfying things like mushroom soup.  If it is clear tomorrow I might pack a picnic, some good reading and a blanket and find a shady tree in a park to contemplate leaves and clouds, and quietness.

Idleness...

"I loafe and invite my soul" - Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

After a long and hectic Christmas Day, on Boxing Day I did just that.  I loafed.  I read a book over several cups of tea in the morning.  I hand-quilted a quilt for a half hour.  I went shopping with my sister-in-law, for nothing in particular, and we laughed and laughed and had fun.  It was a good day for my soul.

Panic at Christmas

"What a fine lesson is conveyed to the mind - to watch only for the smiles and neglect the frowns of fate, to compose our lives of bright and gentle moments, turning always to the sunny side of things,and letting the rest slip from our imaginations, unheeded or fogotten"  - William Hazlitt (1778-1830)

The quote for the day, as I wake up thinking, Oh my God, it's only five hours till eveyone arrives, and I'm so not ready!!  A quiet moment therefore, a quick cup of tea, some mental composing for a day of bright and gentle moments... and into it!

Happy Christmas everyone.