today’s plan has quickly become clear.
as i head into
day 5
still
off the
power grid
the pace of life
has
slowed
days
spent
walking
writing
reading
thinking
bathing by candlelight
catching up with friends
in the coffee shop
on the street
with
neighbors
there is a natural rhythm to it all
waking with the return of the light
sleeping when the dark returns once more
it’s a peaceful and quiet existence
*
until
monday comes
and
i have to
wake up
in the pitch black
to go to school
there’s an art
to applying
makeup
by
flashlight
and
with
only
two hands
luckily
my loyal
carpool partner
has
promised
to alert me
if
my clothes are on backwards
or
anything looks dramatically amiss
and
i find
that
while
i
look
forward to the light
i
am
enjoying the calm
of the dark
—
wisely, and slow. they stumble that run fast.
William Shakespeare
—
image credit: maggielissel.com
sunny sunday
spent
kayaking
and
floating
and
sharing
the water
with
blue herons
ducks
geese
swallows
bass
lily pads
and
a quiet breeze
on
a lazy river
a river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure — oliver wendell holmes
with the first blizzard of 2014 still ongoing, and crazy outdoor games behind me, 12-18 inches of snow on the ground, and temps with a high of 2f, it is a day to sink down into the cottage, away from the outside world, the cold, the snow, the people, the noise, the light.
today is all about books and music and movies and cup of my chernoblyl blend coffee and time spent creating art and writing and napping and a warm bath, and soft pajamas and softer blankets – calm, warm, peaceful, quiet, cozy, comfort. and i will embrace every slow minute of it.
Be he a king or a peasant, he is happiest who finds peace at home. –Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
being a great lover of people, and the human story, and most all that is life, and even though i have always been a bit on the shy side, i have never thought of myself as an introvert. that is, until i heard susan cain speaking about her book on npr. in her book, ‘quiet’, she describes the differences between introverts and extroverts, and the challenges that come with being an introvert and living in a world that celebrates the latter.
what really hit home for me were some of the many examples she gave: feeling most comfortable with just a few close people rather than in large groups, making things happen behind the scenes rather than in front, in a quiet way, and most of all – the need to recharge oneself by spending some time in solitary pursuits after being a part of the goings-on of the world around us. in all of her research and all of her descriptions of both types of people, i found myself to clearly be an introvert.
as children, parents are told to help their child to overcome these traits, and children are told them need to speak up and be ‘like the others’ in this area. why not accept that some people are quiet and some are more vocal, and that both are okay and are needed in the world? to exhibit introverted traits, goes against most teachings about how to be ‘successful’ in the world, in pursuits such as business or politics, among many others, and it takes a bit of time for some to accept that things can be done in other ways.
introverts tend to be very adept at reading people and situations, as they most-often stand back and take it all in, listening to their intuition, and become very attuned to the small details of humanity. they spend time reflecting, pondering and considering things. they learn that huge things can be accomplished in small, quiet ways. i am always learning, about the world, about the people within it, and about myself, and will spend quiet time today reflecting upon all of this.
I didn't have my glasses on.... 
