Quiet!

My word for 2014 is “quiet.” I have known this for a couple of months, now. This word (and variations such as “Be Still” and “Wait”) has shown up in the strangest places and at the oddest times of late. I can only take it as a massive hint that I need to shut up and listen.

So this year I will embrace and nurture “Quiet.”

Here are a couple of thoughts that I plan to pursue this year:

• Make my life quieter: I will carve out a regular quiet time, although I do not yet know how often that will be. I will also look to declutter my house so that it is visually “quieter.” Finally, I will cut out or at least dial back “noise” such as social media, mindless internet surfing and reading the comments sections after online articles (considering a complete media fast, but not sure if I can pull that off).
• Learn meditation: My brain is in constant motion. There is a running commentary in my head on everything that happens in my life. This inner noise is just as distracting as a blaring TV or someone talking loudly on a cell phone. It gets in the way sometimes when I try to think through problems. My hope is that the discipline of meditation will help me to turn off or at least focus that thinking in order to find some peace and clarity.
• Celebrate my introverted temperament instead of trying to hide it: Yes, I admit it. I am an introvert by nature. Most people think introverts are doomed to a life alone, with lots of cats as pets and perhaps a body, or two, buried in the crawl space. I believed that, too, when I was younger. I was too shy. I did not have enough friends. I did not speak up enough in class (Various grown-ups actually said these things to me over the course of my childhood). I took all of this to heart and tried really hard to overcome my introverted nature. That changed after I read the book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking,” by Susan Cain. The book was a great eye opener and really helped me to understand my temperament as a blessing instead of a curse. Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosa Parks were all introverts. Being introverted did not stop them from becoming heroes. This will be my mantra throughout the year.

Other ideas and opportunities will come along as the year progresses, I am certain, but the items above are where I intend to start.

So that’s it. Quiet. In 2014.

Happy New Year!

Shhhhh!