Moments of Solitude
Solitude: from the Latin word solus, meaning "a state of being on your own"
I've recently taken to opening the backdoor in the early morning. I enjoy this time of year - the air is cool and damp and I am reminded of the marching of time. The crows and blue jays squawk and complain as I set the water to boil for my morning tea. Crickets and cicadas continue their unending search for a mate - singing with all their might hoping that someone will seek them out. I wander down into the yard, picking fresh mint for my tea and gathering tomatoes that ripened over night. Then, wedged between rising for the day and morning breakfast rituals, I stand in the middle of my screen porch, ground my feet and close my eyes. With a deep breath I exhale the morning cobwebs from my brain and inhale the new day. I am grateful for the dog standing next me, the sound of the waterfall and certainly for the whistle of the tea kettle. This morning "reset" - these moments of solitude I shamelessly steal for myself - allow for reflection on the previous day, contemplation of the current moment and a setting of intention for this glorious new day.
"Solitude isn't the absence of noise. It's the absence of distraction."
My stolen moments are not quiet - but instead are filled with comforting sound and space for me. Sometimes life is so busy that the moment does not happen in confines of my porch. Instead I find myself wedged between train car window and crowds of people on my way downtown - people talking, announcements being made, doors opening and closing. Still I close my eyes, ground my body and complete my morning reset. The sounds around me drift through like a breeze. When I open my eyes I am always surprised by the changes around me - the never-ending movement of time and am grateful and refreshed.
These moments are available to us all - at anytime, space or place. We only need make the time to quiet our minds and breathe.
"Within each of us, there is a silence, a silence as vast as the universe. And when we experience that silence, we remember who we are." --Gunilla Norris
