“We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly – spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.” ~Susan L. Taylor
I am fresh from a week with my grandchildren, arriving at the cottage last night, and revelling in the quiet of this foggy morning on the St. Lawrence River.
As much as I adore those precious miniature people, I feel myself soaking up the silence like a sponge, its slowed-down pace and peace creeping into the nooks and crannies of my soul.
Bath, books and bed: Those of us who care for children, whether full or part-time, take great pains to help them transition from their busy awake time into sleep.
But rarely do adults do that for themselves. No, it’s a last glance at that social media feed or the e-mail in-box right before we turn the lights out.
When a child acts out or becomes disruptive, what do we do? Give them a time-out. Let them settle down—alone.
Do we do that for ourselves? Take a time-out when needed to regain a sense of control, of self?
No. Because we’re too busy. We’ll do it later. When we have time.
We will never have time. We must make the time. It won’t be given; it must be taken.
Time spent in quiet offers opportunities for reflection and provides clarity and strength for forward movement, for growth and improvement.
Too much noise—not all of it audible, by the way—is as detrimental to the soul as too much fast food is to the body.
Take some quiet time for yourself, or time will take it from you, eventually, and you may end up like a dried out sponge.
