Q is for ...

QUIET...A QUIET HABITAT

In today’s world, it is so hard to find a quiet place, much less an actual quiet moment, to just sit and reflect on whatever topic is currently occupying our thoughts. With the constant hustle and bustle of today’s society from cars zooming up and down the roads honking their horns, to noisy people talking non-stop or making all sorts of unusual sounds, it is very hard to concentrate and focus. At times, we all need to find a place to escape to that can be our quiet habitat. Maybe it is at your house somewhere with the TV and radio turned off; maybe it is on a nature trail out in the woods. At some point, we all crave the quiet solitude to either let our minds concentrate or just shut our minds off completely.

We are surrounded by noise – whether it music, the humming of machines, people or whatever – noise exists constantly. For those of us that can hear, we are blessed with the sense of sound and even though we do crave quiet moments, we should be grateful for some noise because if we were hearing impaired, would we desire a life of silence all the time? I am sure some hearing impaired people would probably love to have a little noise in their lives, but this day in age, sometimes the noise and words we hear, they might be grateful they don’t have to hear it.

For me personally, I like noise at times, but at other times, I want things to be quiet so you can almost hear and feel the stillness. Sometimes, I love just going out on the back deck as night falls and listening to the sounds of nature. They are not as intrusive as the sounds of people. Birds chirping, insects buzzing and humming and just the rustic sounds of nature – it almost brings about a peaceful feeling. We lack that in our lives and if you live in the city or suburbs, you are very lucky if you can find a place of silence and stillness where you can enjoy the sounds of nature.

One of my favorite places to go obviously is Tennessee. When I am in the Great Smoky Mountains, it almost feels as if time stands still. Time is not of an essence, but rather, time is non-existent. You just take your time and enjoy the scenic beauty that surrounds you. Taking a drive thru the mountains is often quiet relaxing and exhilarating. I often like to go down the motor nature trails as they take you high in the hills to beautiful scenic overlooks where the sounds that surround you are all nature. And even though that does provide “noise” it is almost a peaceful noise that you do not mind invading your quiet habitat. Many times the people you encounter along the way also seem to be attempting to unwind and find their quiet universe, but of course, you will also find your rambunctious folks here and there. But overall, it is nothing compared to home or work. It is peaceful place; it is quiet – you just feel that time stands still and you can just take it all in and absorb what surrounds you. I have found my trips into the hills to be quite relaxing and enjoyable. It is nice to escape the hustle and bustle of my daily life.

I encourage you to take some time this week to find your quiet habitat. Sit back, relax and just enjoy what surrounds you – whether it is the sounds of nature or the sounds of silence. Just relax your thoughts and body and let your quiet habitat lead. God blessed this Earth with some beautiful creations, we need to get out and enjoy that while we can! Just pretend to be like a big black bear, find a tree limb to curl up on and take a snooze … ahhhh, what a life!