Peace & Quiet

The Oxford Dictionary defines peace as "freedom from disturbance; tranquility." Quiet is defined as "little or no noise." Hopefully these words and their meanings conjure up positive thoughts for you.  I'm guessing they used to. Peace & quiet was something you dreamed for one day.  You couldn't begin to comprehend what was way out of your immediate reach.  Now peace & quiet are well within your grasp.

Why do we wish for the gift of peace & quiet for so long and then not fully appreciate its giftedness once it finally arrives? I'm asking myself the same question.  We all welcome peace. Quiet, not so much.  Maybe it's because quiet can be glaringly loud.  The absence of noises we are used to with the previous hustle and bustle can be deafening in our new-found silence.   

That peace that comes along side of perpetual quiet should be relished. It should be celebrated. We have earned the blessed calm found in the peace and in the quiet.  No more telling anyone to hold it down.  No need to yell, "Quiet, I'm on the phone!" No need to "shush" anyone anymore.  

When our kids were younger, we couldn't even find peace & quiet behind a closed bathroom door. A lock maybe kept them out but couldn't keep them from banging and pleading for our attention. There seemed to be no escape.  As our kids got older, that bathroom door maybe remained closed but all other doors seemed to be perpetually opening and closing - front doors; back doors; refrigerator doors. Constant doors making constant noise.

One of my boys would not even allow me to slip into an adjacent room a few breaths away to get some aloneness....some peace & some quiet.  If I wasn't within his eye sight then he would loudly scream, "Mom!" I would frantically shout back "What?" My immediate thought was something horrible must have happened.  My son's response was simply, "I just wanted to know where you are." This occurred over and over and over again.  Sometimes peace. Rare quiet.

I recall a time when my three were younger when I mistakenly thought I could slip away for a quick haircut. Silly mistaken me!  I washed my hair at home...arrived to a Snip & Run dripping so no more dampening was required.  The plan was to be back home in 30 minutes flat. Explicit instructions were given. Duties were assigned. I left with a "I'll be back before you know it."  Indeed, I was back before I knew it! My time of quiet abruptly ended by a phone call conveying my youngest was chunking hot wheel cars at his brothers' heads as they were cowering behind the kitchen counter.  World War III had broken out in a mere 15 minutes. All  I wanted was a few minutes of peace. That appeared to be too much to ask. My short time away had to be cut even shorter.

That wasn't a fun day but it did make a fun memory. Now my opportunities to linger at a salon are numerous. My schedule is more up to me. I can now even sit and rest for a minute...or for an hour. You can too.  It's really alright. You don't have to feel guilty or feel it's self-indulging. You've earned this right of passage.  So enjoy. Put your feet up.  Stay awhile. You deserve it.

Do you hear that?  It's called peace & quiet. Ahhhh.......

I get to take a nap.

Can this truth truly be?

I'll go get my night cap.

I'll see you around three!