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Still longing for silence, solitude and simplicity~

9/29/2012

Winter at the cottage by the sea.

It’s time to update this “About this Blog’”, although what I wrote in the fall of 2010 still holds true. I made my first entry at the start of my second year at the cottage by the sea, and have been blogging steadily ever since. I began blogging because I was searching for silence, solitude and simplicity and wanted to share with others on a similar path. I figured that if I sometimes like to be alone, there must be others who have a similar longing. None of that has changed.

On November 15, 2012 I will be returning to the cottage for the fourth year. Same place, same simple rental arrangement for five months. Same hour and a half drive back and forth from home to the cottage. Same general pattern: cottage during the week, home during the weekend.

This blog has never been about having a physical cottage by the sea. It is about silence, solitude and simplicity, the longing and the fulfilling. My hope is that readers will be inspired, affirmed and encouraged to find their own cottage, whatever that might mean for them.

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Silence in the city~

9/28/2012

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During the three years that I have consciously been considering silence, it has become clear to me that the feeling of silence doesn’t only wash over me when there is no sound. For example, when I’m at the cottage I feel silence as the waves lap on the rocks or as the gulls caw over the beach. These sounds of nature exude a sense of silence, which gets me wondering about the affinity between silence and a feeling of calm and peace.

This past Wednesday, my train trip from Connecticut to Grand Central Station, followed by a subway ride to Greenwich Village. offered me another situation in which to consider the nuances of silence. Generally speaking, the silence of nature isn’t a major characteristic of a city. And yet, the many little parks that we walked by exuded a sense of peace and calm, and yes, silence, as buses and cars circled by them. The quaint, tree-lined residential streets also offered calm, peace, and silence.

One my most silent moments of the day, however, was on the subway from Times Square to Grand Central. The cars on that line are all decorated with murals of books on shelves. You get on to the sound and movement of the subway, only to find yourself feeling the calm and steadiness of a library. That is silence.

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Neighborhood silence~

9/24/2012

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My usual walk takes me through a rather quiet, simple neighborhood. The unpretentious homes exude warmth and good family times. Just the place for raising kids and then staying around to enjoy visits from grandchildren. Over the years I’ve become used to the occasional sound of a leaf blower or a car passing by. That was about it for machines--well, up until the other day. What do I make of the two motored carts driven by six year old twins around their driveway and lawn? It felt very noisy—the actual sound and the idea of it all. As I walked away I wondered about the man two houses down, sitting out in his yard reading.

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I simply love the library~

9/20/2012

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Well, here’s silence for you. Our internet connection needs a house call, which won’t happen until tomorrow morning. Being without wifi certainly doesn’t simplify my life, but it could be more complicated. I always look for the silver lining and I see one right through my front window-- the Goodnow Public Library. We all know that libraries mean wifi and that we don’t need to go during open hours. I went over this morning and sat outside to do my correspondence. And I’ll go again in a bit after I write a few emails.

    Um, I wonder if I can connect from the front room. Maybe I don’t even have to cross the street. I’ll go check and report right back.
    Yes, here I am. About ready to send from my cozy home.
    Oops, it didn't quite make it. I'm very grateful for the bench in front of the library.

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Brigadoon right ahead of me~

9/17/2012

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The other day I walked into Brigadoon. Up ahead of me I saw flashes of color dancing back and forth across the road. Gnomes and elves, disguised as members of the high school cross country team practicing on the hills. When I stopped to chat with them, they asked me if I wanted to train with them. Really, how friendly is that? I declined, but then we talked about the fabulous combination of independence and teamwork, of solitude and companionship that cross country offers. Before I went on my way, I took a picture and sent it to one of the members.

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Inconvenient noise, that's all~

9/14/2012

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The incessant drilling noise up the street has me thinking about what it might be like to live in the Middle East amidst the noise of war and death. My local noise, although loud and constant for much of the work day, is part of a project to repair a pipe line and put in a new sidewalk at the church. The specific drilling has to do with minimizing a bolder so it can be carted away. A rather mundane project under the auspices of a religious institution. No warring factions, no killing involved. Nothing more than an auditory annoyance and inconvenience.

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Silent and simple remembrances of 9/11

9/11/2012

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The message in today’s newspaper is that those who lost loved ones eleven years ago in the fall of the twin towers are acknowledging this anniversary in a quiet way. I can resonate with that even though I personally didn’t know anyone who died.

        Today is a beautiful early fall day where I live. There was a feeling of hope in the air when I met a neighbor on my walk this morning. She told me about her friend who went to work in New York City that day….now her children are eleven and fourteen. “Just my children’s ages,” she told me, “but mine still have me.” Um, the ages of my grandchildren as well, and they still have their mother and I still have my daughter.

      I feel sad knowing that not everyone is enjoying beautiful weather on this 9/11 day. Sunshine gives us hope and on a day like this we can all use some. But there is something hopeful about the silent and simple remembrances.

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Another season at the cottage by the sea~

9/9/2012

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Here is some ‘very grateful’ news. I talked with my friend who owns the cottage by the sea, and we agreed upon another (the fourth) ‘win-win’ season. The place will be mine from mid-November to mid-April. I’ll take my bedding, books and coffee mug and settle into weekday silence, solitude and simplicity, and then come home on the weekends for church, family gatherings, and other action-packed events.

For five winter months I will watch the sunrise move southward and then northward. Then, right before the spring equinox, when the sun rises due east. I will wash the deck window, pack up my bedding, books and coffee mug and head home. I will continue to be ‘very grateful’.

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Letting go of stuff~ a way to simplify

9/7/2012

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In the middle of our driveway stands the dumpster that we have rented for two weeks, all in an effort to simplify our life. I know the results will be soothing, but getting there can feel pretty complicated. My goal is that, with the exception of one box of memorabilia, two aero beds, three suitcases, four boxes of seasonal clothing, and five containers of Christmas decorations, our attic will be vacant. How’s that for simple living?

At the moment, however, we’re in the complicated phase. Carting down boxes, not to mention sorting through them, is anything but simple. On the other hand, I’m already feeling a sense of peace about it. When that dumpster pulls out of the driveway, I just know that we’ll be living with more silence, solitude and simplicity.

If you want more details, check out our blog http://lettingofstuff.blogspot.com/ If you want to keep your life simple, don’t go there.

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Turn off the TV~

9/5/2012

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For the past week, without realizing it, I have allowed the political conventions to usurp my silence, solitude and simplicity. The TV blared, the pundits entered our home, and I responded with an array of emotions from mad, to sad, to glad and everything in between. Politicians and the media were taking over my life and I, by default, was allowing it to happen.

Tonight I turned off TV, and was offered an immediate and obvious sense of silence, solitude and simplicity—no convention shouting, no human beings stepping out of the screen, and no complicated rhetoric to sort through. As the evening goes on, I’m feeling something deeper as I sit alone in the simple silence. I have the time to do what really matters to me, which may be not much, but could be something spectacular. Always a mystery.

Although I’m still wearing my political button, I have my spirit back. How easy it is to give it away without even realizing it.

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