“Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn?
Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends?
Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven’t the answer to a question you’ve been asked,
or the hush of a country road at night,
or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak,
or, most beautiful of all,
the moment after the door closes and you’re alone in the whole house?
Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully.”
Norton Juster

Sometimes the world seems a very noisy place. There are so many causes, opinions, and philosophies clamoring for our attention and response. And sometimes I need to pull away for awhile to get my equilibrium back.

I love those treasured quiet moments where all the voices are quieted, including my own, and I can just rest. I create them whenever I can.

In the car while waiting for Bear to run an errand. Such times are wonderful for rolling the windows down, closing my eyes and soaking up sunshine and deliciously cooling breezes.

On the farm right after Bear has dashed off to work with his bag full of papers, lunch, and the detritus of a school teacher’s responsibilities. This is my time to take a deep breath and luxuriate in absolute peace before the farmyard erupts in bleats, cackles, hoots, and quacks as everyone demands a good feed.

During this time I like to do something special just for me. Sometimes it’s reading a few pages from my book or making raw cocoa dandelion mocha. Earlier this week I made fresh-squeezed juice with white nectarines and apples and headed out to my kitchen garden for a sit in the early morning sunshine.

bowl of nectarines

The sun felt so good and I loved just sitting, admiring the flowering thyme and cheery nasturtiums, spotting the first strawberries of the season, not worrying one iota about weeding or watering or getting seedlings transplanted to the big garden.

fresh apple nectarine juice

Soon enough the work of real life beckons and I’m busy writing an article or setting up a photo shoot or trekking through the fields with the goats. But even in those times of busyness, even a few quiet seconds observing a fluffy dandelion head sparkling among the grasses can make a huge difference.

dandelion in field

It does me no end of good to take these little moments to restore, refresh, to remind myself that even when life gets crazy and hard and scary and sad, there is beauty and goodness just waiting to nourish a weary soul.

daisies on fence post

What do you like to do in your quiet moments? XO