I am constantly surrounded by sound. Music, people's voices, the cars outside, the pitter-patter of rain or the whistle of the wind. And sometimes, the constant stream of noise suddenly crosses that line, switching from enjoyable to unbearable and my head starts to pound. Sometimes, I just need silence.
When I turn everything off and let the quiet slowly descend, wrapping around me like a cloak, it feels as if though I am taking a deep breath. It's a pleasant kind of silence, swirling around me and settling on my shoulders. The quiet washes over me and fills my ears and I can feel myself start to relax.
Maybe it's the unusual weather, or the stress of the past week
(finally on christmas break as of yesterday, hallelujah!), but I've been in a pensive, quiet, observant mood lately. Call me anti-social, but lately I've honestly preferred to sit alone with my writing than having to go out and talk to other human beings. I've been writing letters to people that I'll never send, sitting at my desk staring at the slate-grey sky, and unintentionally dressing in rather sober colors
(need to get some more color in my winter wardrobe). Winter's kind of depressing sometimes, I have to confess. But for now, I'll try to throw myself into the Christmas spirit and sit in silence and write.
***
ps I'm currently in the process of updating my
faq page -- any questions you have that you'd like for me to include? feel free to leave them here or
via email. thanks friends!
loved this :) silence can sometimes be awkward, but at other times wonderful...taking a break from the world in silence is something I have to do often, to gain strength to go back and face challenges.
ReplyDeletexoxo
simi
p.s. I'm having a 100 follower giveaway at my blog, if you'd like to enter!
p.s. here's a couple of questions for your faq page.
ReplyDelete1. How did your blog become so successful?
2. Who inspires you in photography, and in fashion?
thank you for saying this. this december has been great, but there are things that i think should've happened that didn't, and they've put me in a bad mood. i had a full-on meltdown last night. too many things were going on and i didn't know how i would be able to finish them. my mom told me to give God a hug before going to bed and i did, and then everything felt so much better. i think i'm ready for Christmas this year. my presents are so not done, but hey, it's a start.
ReplyDeletegreat post, and your photos are kind of amazing. just saying. :))
-jocee <3
yes, we all need silence sometimes too :) love this post. it's such a perfect worded post!
ReplyDeletei so get this post. building going on outside, music playing in my room.. and then i go sit on the trampoline and it's me and God.
ReplyDeleteand i'm with you on the letters i'll never send thing. even while i'm writing them, i have a feeling they'll never be sent.
Carlotta, you are the only person I know who can take a picture of a stunted tomato on a dead vine and have it look PRETTY. :)
ReplyDelete- Victoria
(http://raindropsandmoonlight.blogspot.com)
I feel you, Carlotta!! And you know what? It is totally okay. We need time to ourselves!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures in this post, though! :) Hope your winter turns out to be something a little more awesome!
ha, victoria, that comment was great. :)
ReplyDeleteand half of my letters never get sent either!
loved the photos!
I understand the feeling of "wanting to be alone". Hope you have a happy, eventful (in a good way) Winter.
ReplyDeletei have that wall. it's like a pinterest board!
ReplyDeleteI can SO relate. I'd much rather tromp around fields and woods with my camera than be surrounded by people any day.
ReplyDeleteYour photography is gorgeous as always dear (:
aww i don't think you are anti-social...just an introvert. :D im an introvert too :D :D :D :D
ReplyDeleteI understand - sometimes I just need to be alone. :)
ReplyDeleteHere's a question for you:
What {or who} inspires you most?
Hugs,
~Bree
I write so many letters that I will never send. it's so helpful to write them. merry christmas!
ReplyDeletexo
Even though it's a simple post, I love it. Sometimes, especially with the chaos in my life, I just need to be reminded to sit down and let the silence surround me. Thanks for reminding me :) Also, I've never thought about writing letters to people without sending them. I think I might try that soon!
ReplyDeleteHave a merry christmas :)
Your pictures are the most amazing pictures that I have ever seen! :) your posts are just.........beautiful. Every single one. :))
ReplyDeleteCindi
I know what you mean. Sometimes you just need things quiet. Lovely pictures!
ReplyDeleteBeing a bit of a loner, I love silence. Though, there are times when I do for crave noise and the company of friends (and even strangers). Enjoy your Christmas break while it lasts! :-)
ReplyDeletep.s. Here's a question for your faq page:
Are you the outgoing type or the shy type?
i get this. i just get this. like you, i need my alone time. especially during these crazy weeks (break, please come soon).
ReplyDeleteseriously loving your inspiration wall. i haven't put mine back up since i painted my room in the summer, but i've been collecting photos for a while now. know what made me smile? the fact that my letter is on your wall. :)
xo (so much)
twin sister.
Silence is always good. :)
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful noise, the noise of contemplation and thinking.
ReplyDeletesilence.
I remember one of my teachers saying that you couldn't begin to talk to other people until you were happy with silence. That you needed to be comfortable with silence before you made noise in the morning. And I try and practice that, but it's hard.
ReplyDeleteI've remembered something I wanted to ask you! Do you speak German or English at home? With Alina & Amanda? With your family in Germany? Coming from a bilingual family (French) I'm always interested in languages with other people with a similar story.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I know what you mean.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite songs is called "The Sound of Silence". It's by Simon & Garfunkel, from the soundtrack of Watchmen.
oh, i have a question!
ReplyDeleteyou talk quite a bit about a notebook that you use for writing. what kinds of things do you write about outside of blogging? how long do you spend on average writing every day?
I like silence, too. Oh, and these photos are simply stunning. I like the kind of vibe they give off - almost bleak. Well done!
ReplyDeleteoh so pretty
ReplyDelete-olivia
Beautiful photos and silence is one of my favorite sounds.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite silence is that of a peaceful Summer evening...
ReplyDeleteI have a question...you are obviously a pastor's daughter, but how does religion actually affect you personally? Are you a believer/member of your church? Which church do you guys attend? I am only curious because of the title of your blog...
ReplyDeleteI've been the same way recently. All I want to do is just sit at home and read. Or sit at home and watch movies/TV shows on Netflix. You get the idea. I think that because the stress of school is for once off our shoulders it's nice to just do things that you want and not have to worry about what you should be doing at that moment.
ReplyDeletei go through ups and downs during Christmas...first, there's the anticipation. you're just so darn excited to finally start celebrating the birth of the Savior. but then you're just totally Christmas-ed out because of all the commercialism surrounding the holiday. and then you get excited again on Christmas Eve.
ReplyDeleteat least that's me. glad you know i'm not alone! :)
christmas is; always different! Some years its happy, some years depressing. haha but all this talk of silence makes me think of John Cages 4minutes and 33 seconds! A piece of pure silence! {truly thats what it is} the conductor has a sheets of music and counts of and turns the pages and everything as if there is sound! because the silence is the music!
ReplyDelete