Finding solace in quiet places
When I find myself feeling that the world is too much with us, I know it’s time to shelter away from the noise of the constant news cycle, the negative effects of social media, and often, people in general. As an introvert, I’m adept at this, but there are times when my brain won’t slow, and the growing list of things to do, the worries I let settle into my safe spaces, and the negativity that can sometimes overpower the good that’s all around becomes too much. In these moments, I make myself stop and seek solace in the quiet places.
Go to nature
No matter the season, whether I’m home or away, if only I can find a place to be among the trees, hear the birdsong, feel the wind on my skin, I can find peace. The quiet comfort I find in being in a world that doesn’t judge, that has no ego, that is there to simply thrive with other beings in symbiosis gives me a sense of being a part of something that is greater than the constant chatter in my brain.
When I’m surrounded by the natural world, all my senses are at once awakened and soothed. There isn’t any need for me to behave or look a certain way; I only have to breathe in and out and live – if even for just a spell – in communion with these peaceful creations. And in doing so, they calm my racing heart and quiet my chaotic mind. But they also remind me of what is truly important in my life: not the superficial things we collect along the way but the beauty in the small, seemingly unimportant, fleeting moments.
Be present in the journey
Staying mindful and present helps me to keep me from fretting about what’s to come or dwell on things I’ve already done that I can’t change or undo. Instead, I focus on being observant of what’s here with me now and cherishing it, knowing it’s fleeting, and I’ll never get it back again.
Isn’t that just life? Fleeting and precious.
I wrote the following piece with that sentiment in mind. I had the privilege of visiting the Greek isles this year and came across a hidden beach. Instead of taking photo after photo documenting my time there, I took a couple, but then I put the camera away and immersed myself in the scene, at once becoming part of the Aegean, the trees that clustered up the hill, the breeze that dried the salt on my skin, and the sun that warmed me. And it filled my soul.
Swimming in Hydra
We climbed through a fence
and hiked to the bottom of the trail to find a hidden beach tucked in,
barely visible from the road above.
Few were there ahead of us and the sun shone down,
as if it was delighted for our discovery and wanted to alight
all the hidden crevices and treasures we might find.
We stripped down to our suits
and stepped onto the ladder that delivered us into the Aegean.
The frigid water took my breath away,
but you took to it as if you were Poseidon himself.
I stayed near the edge,
my toes trying to grip mossy stones but slipping
as the current bobbed me back and forth.
When I could take no more,
I pulled myself from the sea,
changed into sun-warmed clothes
and settled in to watch you
soaking up the sun,
the sea,
the secret hideaway we had found.
And I recorded the moment in my mind
so that I could return and write this poem.