19 September 2026

Q is for quietness

One of the great rebellions of my retirement is claiming the right to do nothing.  I had a busy working life, was carer for both my mother and my sister, ran a house and garden which were much too big for me and now I enjoy the pleasure of quietness.

I’d hate you to feel that idleness is easy.  I have only to look around and I can see so many things which I should be doing but I struggle and say “nah”. 

The bins ought to be emptied.  The laundry is breeding.  I have lots of cupboards which need to be sorted.  But I'm ignoring all of it.

Even the birds are quieter.  The springtime avian urge for romance is a distant memory and now there is abundant food and they feel little urge to squabble. 

But it isn’t really quiet.  The freezer motor hums.  The occasional car passes.  Even my tummy gives the odd rumble.  Two of those are easy to ignore. 

But mostly there is quietness.

The leaves can fall without my assistance.

The rain can rain.

The washing can wait.

I am content.

 

16 comments:

  1. I love Mark 6.31, esp in The Message version " Jesus said to the disciples 'Let's take a break and get a little rest'

    ReplyDelete
  2. Peace and Quiet now and again is good - you found a cosy photo for this post

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's a great feeling, just to sit and watch nothing much.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 'Drop thy still dews of quietness....'

    ReplyDelete
  5. It’s an art that is worth cultivating-a sense of stillness and calm. My daughter has learned the lesson, early and I made her a slightly weighted quilt which she uses to lie on the sofa and relax after a stressful day at work. Catriona

    ReplyDelete
  6. I need to embraxe quiet...idleness I've mastered.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. well, once idleness has been mastered, quiet can follow!

      Delete
  7. It's the great thing about retirement; we get to decide what is worth doing and when we want to do it. People who aren't retired don't understand that quietness isn't laziness. It's just a priority. And I think it's the best one.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Quietness is a blessing, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete