Well, let’s start with the silly, shall we? I sat down this evening to make my Thanksgiving list to post, at which point it fully hit me that today is Thursday. Seems obvious, I know, but the other obvious thing that becomes clear then is that yesterday was therefore Wednesday. And why does that matter? Well, because it means I didn’t post my ABC Wednesday post this week. Dang it.
And it becomes even more silly when you find out that I’d already written that post for this week, and simply forgot to use it. Why wasn’t it actually scheduled instead of just stored in drafts? Who knows. This writing in advance thing is new to me, though my friend Roger keeps extolling its virtues. So I’ll consider this my next bit of learning: when you write them, schedule them. Or at least remember that you have them! Anyway, late or not, I’m posting it now, and then I’m going to actually write my post for today.
Given my love of television in general, and Star Trek in particular, one might have assumed that I was going to write about that show today, but I’ve done that already. And, given those same facts combined with the title of today’s post, one might extrapolate that I am also a fan of the show Firefly and have decided to write about the ship of that show, or the film follow-up to the series. But, no. While I do enjoy Firefly (though I was very late to that party and have only watched the episodes in the last year or so), today’s serenity is all about the state of being serene.
In today’s hectic, mile-a-minute, always-connected world in which we live , I think it’s important to keep in mind the things that can bring us a moment of peace and tranquility. Of course, what those things might be that bring us to a state of serenity is different for everyone, but whatever it is, it’s important.
For me, it can often be something as simple as a few moments of silence and solitude. I’m a fairly solitary person by nature, and I need some alone-time in order to recharge. It’s one of the reasons my sleep schedule has stayed so out of whack even now that I am no longer working—because I got used to getting that solitude in the middle of the night when the rest of my household is sleeping, and I still take advantage of that time to just sit and listen to music, or read Facebook, or write my blog post, or watch old episodes of Criminal Minds, or whatever I feel like doing. It’s just a time for me to only worry about me, and enjoy the solitude. In the same way, I enjoy starting my day by sitting alone on the patio, watching the birds at the feeder, with no sound but their chirping and the sound of the wind in the leaves. It’s very relaxing.
But, when I can’t have any real-world solitude, I turn to my imagination and conjure up the most serene moments I can think of. And, for me, that usually involves water.
There is little that’s more relaxing to me than the sound of the sea. Whether it’s waves lapping gently and rhythmically against the shore, or crashing violently against rocks, I love the sound of the ocean. It’s hypnotic and calming, and always makes me wish I lived someplace where I could hear it every day. Or, better yet, every night as I was drifting off to sleep.
My next favorite imaginary serenity is a waterfall, and it’s again mostly about the sound. The rush of the falling water constantly moving, and then splashing into the waiting pool is great. And then the gentler sound of smaller water flowing away, maybe gurgling through a stream in a darkened forest. I could sit in that forest and listen forever.
Image courtesy of Christian Meyn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
And the last element for my soothing illusion is a sky full of stars. Millions of them. When I imagine this serene world of water sounds, it is almost always a vision of nighttime. Not dark, but shadowy, lit by those countless stars, and maybe even a moon just behind a thin veil of clouds. It’s a beautiful place, this imaginary world I have, and it’s where I go when I need to regroup and get my serenity (or my sanity) back again. I love these places—even more than the spaceship you may have been expecting.
What is serene for you?
Linking up with ABC Wednesday. Stroll on over and see what sort of sights, sounds, and sagas you’ll be shown.
