Category Archives: quiet

living forest.

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waking up early 

sitting in the stillness of the lake

 with the birdsong

of 9 different birds

captivated. 

“your head is a living forest full of song birds”

-ee cummings

 

art credit: beth conklin –  Song Birds

listen carefully.

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“have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? or perhaps you know the silence when you haven’t the answer to a question you’ve been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you’re alone in the whole house? each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully.”

-norton  juster, the phantom tollbooth 

 

 

huron river, ann arbor, mi, usa – january 2022

the quiet game.

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not my class, but looks like they’re playing the game too. 

when our class needs a break to calm down and relax

we play ‘the quiet game’

(an idea my daughter used when babysitting years ago)

which consists of nothing but lying down

not moving or making noise

yes, you can blink and breathe

last person left is the winner

sometimes there’s not even a winner

 they just love to play

they even ask to play

i tell them they’ve been so good

of course we can play

a win-win, i’d say.

 

 

“quiet is peace. tranquility. quiet is turning down the volume knob on life.

silence is pushing the off button. shutting it down. all of it. – Amir”

― Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

 

 

 

image credit: google images

music amongst the trees.

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a new garden begins

in the first spring

spent at my home

 first things first

a door is decorated

tiny flowers are planted

shells and stones and treasures and glittery things

are scattered

leaving room for more to come 

the fairies are welcome

to visit and stay at their leisure

i’ll listen very quietly.

  • “there is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.”

-minnie aumonier