Black Friday and Solitude

A lack of  contact with people is solitude.

If you were a Black-Friday shopper, you may be over-due for a little solitude.

However, one doesn't need Black Friday to be inundated with noise and activities. Entering a sports bar one evening, we heard conversations, music, and at least fifteen different television sets with various games and sitcoms.

In our homes, we have television--some of us, 24/7-- where actors or talk-show participants interrupt each other. Movies provide action-packed shoot-outs, accidents, etc. with complementary NOISE.

Phones blurp or sing to let us know of calls and text messages; computers do likewise. Depending on your work place--noises vary from ear-plug demanding sounds to constant chatter where cubicle offices are lined up for long stretches. Games? Concerts? Does anyone think all this noise is over-done?

When is the last time you heard the gurgle of a brook, the rush of the wind through the trees? Can you hear the tick-tock of your clock? If it were quiet enough, could you hear the snow fall?

Solitude
Saturated with quiet
And comfortable in my skin
I'm down to earth
Above the clouds
And somewhere in between
I'm content.

Be still and know....    

Yes, the shopping will get done, the decorating will be good enough. Drop what you're doing and rest a bit. You may catch a snowflake or two or feel the sunshine on your face.