“Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence” and “in the noisy confusion of life keep peace in your soul”
– Max Erhmann, Desiderata
The best gift I (re)found here is silence. To be clear, silence includes the chirp of birds and the crowing of the rooster in the early morning, the occasion brrrup of a bull frog, neigh of a horse, lowing of a cow or barking of a dog. Today happens to be Sunday so it is free of the sounds of morning commuters whom I imagine to be happily snuggled in bed.
The additional layer to my appreciation of silence revealed itself as I stopped feeling the need to watch a movie while working. In fact, I lost the ability to cope with any sensory multi-tasking when I wished to focus on the task at hand. Even reading while petting the cat felt as though I was cheating the cat of thorough attention. And myself the full effects of nervous system regulation that cats offer.
Being calm finally felt safe – in lieu of the sense of needing to be in high sensory fight/flight mode in order to meet the productivity demands placed on me by others (work) and even the ones I had compulsively placed on myself through the years.
Silence reveals the desiderata of quality in all from the meow of the peacock in the distance to the deeper understanding that adds a special nuance to enjoyment of the work.
”Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen…”
Max Erhmann, Desiderata
If you haven’t already – read the poem – copy written January 3, 1927, a century later his wise words may be what will help you get through to 2027 – as they will me as I place them back on my wall.