I can only write in the quiet, in stolen moments of peace from the often chaotic pace of my life.
My words come alive when I sip coffee in the quiet of a house granted when my husband is at work and my son goes to the few cherished hours of school he attends each week.
They dance onto the computer with a late night cup of tea to the symphony of snores that parade around the upstairs in the darkness of nightfall.
“Hey babe, I need you to look this over,” my husband asked/demanded in his stress of gathering materials to apply to a fellowship.
I sat down at the desk cluttered with test scores and resume drafts and felt overwhelmed.
“How do you turn this noise off? What window do you have open?” I asked in a flustered way.
“Hang on, I’ll fix it,” he said, reaching over to close the many tabs that helped him find his way around this project and the one that played music.
“I can’t write with noise,” I explained matter-of-factly and determinedly.
My husband’s face was incredulous. He is a lover of background noise; music on his phone or the computer, the TV always on when he’s home, a game on the x-box on just to be on. “I can’t do anything without noise,” he replied.
This, I know about him. I’ve learned it through years of living with him and his background noise. Add in a loud three year old and I feel constantly on the verge of over stimulation.
I am a lover of the silence. I find it peaceful and reflective; a chance to listen to the things in our minds we often shut out through out the business of the day.
I can only blog when I have the time to meditate in the silence of life, moments that are rare and treasured to me.
And so I write, think, and dream in stolen silent moments, welcoming my rare background noise of silence.
I came from a family of 5 siblings…so I’m used to noise. I actually kind of need it. When Chunky started school, I had to turn on the radio or tv for background noise. Weird.
Kimberly recently posted..Awake
That’s totally the way my husband is! He has to have something on all the time so there’s no quiet. And oh my goodness 5 siblings?? So. Much. Noise!
Lovely. I need silence to write as well, where I can ‘think my thoughts’.
Your writing just gets better and better.
heidi recently posted..the gift of words
I read this comment the day you posted it and have been pondering ever since. It truly means so much to me that you think my writing gets better and better because I look up to you and your writing talent so much. I am so honored by this comment, thank you.
And yes, that’s it exactly, I need silence to “think my thoughts.” Love. xoxo
Yes, yes, yes! I need silence to write too. I can take a little background noise when I’m brainstorming sometimes (whenever I’m mulling over ideas, scribbling down here and there). But when it comes to serious gottagetthisdone kind of writing? It has to be silent. I remember even in high school when I had huge amounts of reading to do – I would literally go into the bathroom, sit on the floor and spread out all of my work and materials because it was the quietest room in the house. There were even moments in college before exams that I thought libraries were too loud!
Oh my goodness that’s so funny that you would find your silence in the bathroom!! I don’t think I’ve ever written in the bathroom, but I do love a good quiet potty break, hehe!
I’m so glad you get my need for silence. I hope you find some quiet spaces for yourself in your life! I find that they are so hard to create and so I cherish them intensely when I get them.
Well done post. I really like the wonderful writing you provide here. Silence truly golden.
Thank you so much! I agree, I truly do revel in silence. Thank you for coming to read and comment!