The Quiet Time

Hold on for a sec.
Could someone please answer the phone?
I can’t now, I’m late for a meeting.
I’ll get that to you this afternoon.
Who’s supposed to be answering my phone?
Sorry, what was that?
Tuesday’s no good, how’s Thursday?
Take a message.
You need it by close of business???

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Do you ever feel like there’s too much life in your life? I like my job and my life in general. There are just times when it starts to overwhelm me.

But you know what I’ve found helps keep me sane these days?

The Quiet Time.

Every morning (at least Monday through Friday), my alarm goes off at 5:30am. I leap out of bed to silence it. MLB usually rolls over and slides right back into REM sleep.

I grab my sneaks and tip-toe downstairs into the den to ride my exercise bike. It’s a brutal routine at times. But do you have any idea how quiet it is at 5:30 in the morning?

As I sit on the sofa lacing my sneakers, I frequently stop just to listen.

Rain falling this morning.
The furnace just kicked on.
I can even make out the swollen stream next to the house rushing by.

And that’s it.

No birds this time of year but I don’t mind them when they’re around. I consider them part of the quiet.

When I hop on my bike, I usually click on the TV. It helps distract me from my task. But when the riding’s over and I get on the floor to stretch, I shut it off again.

And the Quiet Time resumes.

After the exercise, my heavier breathing adds sound to the room. So does my thumping heartbeat.

Another hour or so and I’m back to the cacophony of the city. But that’s cool. My next Quiet Time is just 20 hours away.