Category: 3S's - A Cottage by the Sea

The silence, solitude, and simplicity of music

5/12/2019

Yesterday I attended the Spring Concert at my church, Memorial Congregational Church, just up the street from where I live. Obviously, music is not silent, nor performed in solitude, and certainly not simple. And yet, as I sat in the sanctuary I felt those three longing being fulfilled. Silence, solitude and simplicity are a states of being, not a states of doing.
Our choir was joined by singers from the community. They were exquisite, allowing me to close my eyes and sit in that very silence, solitude, and simplicity that I long for. Clearly, silence is not lack of sound; solitude is not being alone; simplicity is not without complexity.

Always have hope

2/18/2019

My church in the distance.

First of all, a update on the various components of my silent, solitude and simple life on this snowy Monday morning.
• Family is doing great: healthy, proactive, positive. I’m very grateful for this.
• Church is doing great. It is one of the most welcoming places I know.
• Friends. Some doing great, but not all. Regardless, they are trying to stay proactive, positive, and faithful as they deal with health and family issues.

Secondly, a few headlines from my world of silence, solitude, and simplicity.
• I’m trying not to get drawn into everyday politics but I must admit it is a challenge not to turn on the T.V. and tune into what I call, ‘My Sources.’
• I give myself an A in reading. This year I’ve read 12 books; only 68 to go to meet my 2019 Goodreads Challenge of 80 books.
• The front room is clear of stuff we don’t want. If we ever decide to move, what’s left can be boxed up in a couple of hours.
• My upcoming trip in April to Italy with my daughter and granddaughter is competing for center stage with all the other good things in my life.
• Every morning I start my day naming five things for which I am grateful. The usual list, which I learned from my mom, holds steady: family, friends, health, life and faith. But there are always others.

The silence of clocks ticking

2/13/2019

It is silent this morning as the ice on my driveway melts from last night’s snow and rain. All I can hear, as I sit in the sunroom (no sun), is the rhythmic tick of four clocks that my husband is trying to get in sync. Tinkering with old clocks has been a hobby of his for many years. It is a meditative hobby, taking patience, and encouraging an atmosphere of active silence, solitude, and simplicity.

Relaxing into silence, solitude, and simplicity~

2/7/2019

It feels like I haven’t posted about silence, solitude, and simplicity lately. Well, at least not in that simple way with a comment such as, “I’m (just) sitting in the silence, solitude, and simplicity today.” Somehow the word ‘just’ is essential in conveying my feeling because it gets rid of the need to explain or quality my mood.
Perhaps right now I should follow my own advice and stop writing. Before I do, however, I want to share something about the accompanying photo of my couch, knitting, book, and pillows from Florence,. Arranging those items brought me an added wave of contentment, and so I encourage you to do the same. Gather a few of your favorite things on your comfy resting spot, and see how you are led to relax into silence, solitude, and simplicity; live into it, if even for five minutes.

Unofficial official New Year's Day

1/7/2019

     The New Year has unofficially officially begun. Usually sometime unofficial comes about before the official time, but not the New Year. Until Epiphany on January 6th, Christmas lingers, and that means last year lingers.
     We didn’t decorate for Christmas, so there is nothing to put away, which is often a sign that the New Year has officially begun. Then there are the New Year’ resolutions. We want to start them on January 1st, but that doesn’t always happen. Who wants to eat raw broccoli without the dip on New Year’s Day?
     I don’t make a long resolution list; I have my usual ones and leave it at that.However, over the past few days a new one, which undoubtedly has to do with my on-going longing for silence, solitude and simplicity, has surfaced. Keep conversations concise…don’t go on and on, and don’t enable others to do so.
Oops, I’d better end this right now!

Silence, solitude, and simplicity in busy times~

11/5/2018

With all the action going on these days—Boston’s World Series win and the midterm elections coming up tomorrow—I’ve decided to take the day for silence, solitude, and simplicity. Reading, writing, meditating, knitting, and visiting some friends who are now spending their days in assisted living facilities.
I tell you this not because I think YOU need to settle into life’s big picture, but because I know that’s what I need.
Memories of wisdom from friends and family help. My mom would be telling me to go out and do something for someone else. A friend recently told me that when she gets up she tells herself, “Let me not make this day about me.” My husband and I, when we remember, start the day offering a couple of gratitudes, one for the world, one for ourselves. Reading, writing, knitting, and meditating always settles me down.
All of these actions touch on silence, solitude, and simplicity; not always out there in my everyday life, but in my heart.

The House on Concord Road~

10/26/2018

As soon as the Red Sox clinch the World Series. I’ll be able to return to silence, solitude and simplicity. Hmm, always an excuse, isn’t there?
As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been remembering, admittedly with some nostalgia, my cottage-by-the-sea (CBTS) days. The cottage has been sold, so there’s no going back there, nor do I want to look for another place. That time was then and now is now, but there is something about those five winters by the ocean that I still long for. Not the venue but the calming atmosphere. My conscious desire for silence, solitude, and simplicity began when I starting looking for a cottage to rent, and it was then that I started this blog.
But now is now, and I find myself imaging silence, solitude, and simplicity at this house-at-16 Concord Road (HA16CR). That acronym doesn’t resonate, but I have until the 2018 World Series Pennant is raised at Fenway Park to come up with one that speaks to our lifestyle.

My blog is entering its tenth year

10/6/2018

This blog of mine is about to enter it’s tenth year. Unbelievable, but true. My first entry was in November 2009 as I began going to the cottage-by-the-sea. I was searching for silence, solitude and simplicity, and I still am.
These peaceful ways of being aren’t found once and for all, but become more authentic as we keep our eye on the search. Yes, we slip at times into the chaos of worldly life, but that backslide is challenged and stopped by our commitment to greater forward movement.
The continued existence of this blog is proof that I am making progress toward silence, solitude, and simplicity. Although I no longer go to the cottage, the memories keep the image alive, developing, and growing as I travel to Florence and Scotland, or stay at home with a good book. The sections I’ve added, A Solitary Traveler and Compassionate Reading, attest to this. and am considering adding a new one about aging. Stay tuned.

Give yourself a "My Day"

3/16/2018

A quiet day for me here, a day that is turning out to be a “My Day,” at least until we meet friends for dinner. I want everyone, those of us who like silence, solitude and simplicity, and those who always like to be with others, to have a day like this once in a while. On a ‘My Day” there are no outside obligations or commitments. I figure out what to do as the day enfolds.
Per usual, I’m staying home, satisfying my typical pleasures of reading, writing, meditating, walking, and, I must confess, keep an eye on the news. To my surprise, I realize I have just spent a couple of hours reading “Bernini: His Life and His Rome,” by Franco Mormando, purusing “Bernini and the Art of Architecture,” by T.A. Marder, and planning the four days I’ll be in Rome in April, which seems to be shaping into a Bernini visit.

Disseminating peace our own way~

2/15/2018

Nothing seems silent, solitary or simple about the news these days . But of course that’s not the point. I can’t blame school shootings or domestic abuse on my lack of silence, solitude or simplicity because I know it is to be found inside me.
So how do I respond when my mind and heart keep my thoughts on the Florida victims and their families? I shut my eyes and pray God’s peace surrounding them. That’s my Christian way.
If you don’t participate in a faith tradition, I trust you have your own way of settling yourself down and disseminating peace into the universe. Very likely you wouldn’t be following this blog if you didn’t.