Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Silence



I hadn't realized how much I missed silence until I stumbled into some the other day. I was home by myself. (Well, not actually by myself as G was asleep upstairs.) I was cold so I turned off the AC. I then turned off the one in the kitchen as well.

All of a sudden it was quiet.

Do you know quiet? The hush of what you can't hear when you wake up and it has snowed overnight. The world is muted. Hushed. Quiet.

426156449_5824c2d247_z_quietSome rights reserved by jajoIII

Life with a three year old doesn't allow for much quiet. If she is awake, one of three things is most likely happening.

One; talking. She is very verbal. I love listening to the way her mind works, but it is pretty constant and even a mother can want for a mute or pause button.

Thankfully there is a two - she could be giggling. When you are three years old emotions are heightened. Laughter and giggles are plentiful and wonderful.

Unfortunately the flip side of those emotions is the final option- tears. Not just moisture seeping from the eyes. That would not be very three. Most tears come with complete melt downs. Those are the moments that number one doesn't seem so bad.

Now add to the three year old the background noise of our AC units. No, we don't have central air. Each room has its own wall-mounted air conditioner. When you live in the tropics, and it is stinking hot, AC is a life saver. The AC is always on.

The ACs in our home are not the quiet kind. (In fact I was enjoying the quiet so much that I turned off the one in our bedroom before I crawled into bed. Later, when it was getting too warm and I needed to turn it back on the sound could have been mistaken for a small plane starting up and heading down the runway.)

2320500088_8bc58b17c7_z_small planeSome rights reserved by TheScream

So now I remember what quiet is. I remember that I like quiet. I remember that I can find quiet here, all I have to do is turn off the AC.

Choices.

6 comments:

  1. I love hearing about your life in Saudi Arabia. Well, actually hearing the silence. Your writing looks at the deeper things in life. Some things we may take for granted. Like the gift of silence.
    Loved the descriptions of the sounds your daughter makes.

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  2. How amazing that the image that came to you with quiet in the middle of the tropics was the quiet of the morning after a snowfall!

    I loved all the descriptions of your daughter, reminds me so much of mine! (now almost 19)

    By the way, I once lived near a militray base, downwind of a jet engine test area... it really is loud!

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  3. Stacey had posted about silence, too...funny how we all have a need for it and response to it that is all our own.

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  4. That's why I love my early morning time - nothing is running and the silence is amazing - now if I could only unclutter my mind at the same time and just listen to that silence. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Love the snow pic because I do know where you are! Your daughter sounds much like my granddaughter, who is not quiet much either. It would be great to see them together. I'm sorry for the AC noise-it is distracting for sure-but I guess you do love having it too. Glad you had a quiet nap.

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  6. Why is the stereotype about the terrible two's? I'm the mom of a 3-year-old for the second time around and I'm not finding it any easier - or any quieter.

    I love your reflection on the power of quiet. Your words made me stop and think about how my body relaxes when the tension of noise isn't prickling every pore. Those moments come here only in the early morning before the kids wake up and at night after they're asleep. Thanks for reminding me to drink them in a bit more greedily the next time they come.

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