quiet chicago: Recent Episodes
quiet chicago
Take a deep breath. quiet chicago is one person's adventure in finding calm in a hectic and loud city. These are weekly essays, questions and thoughts on clearing your head and finding calm in a society that rarely allows for it.
Whether this is something you listen to in your daily meditation or a way to slow down and restart the calm and creativity in your life, today is a great day to take a deep breath and just be.
what does your everyday look like? not just your day, those get filled with meetings running late out of the house, too many errands.. the usual. the things we unfortunately deal with every day
but when you stop, pause, take a few breaths,, let go of the stress, the to-do list and everything else. you get a great night sleep.. then you wake up
it's a new day. the kind of day you can celebrate everyday, it's that special, because it can be had everyday. now... what does that look like.. think about it some, what time are you up, probably early.. are you out for a walk in nature? or maybe enjoying coffee or tea while writing,, who do you interact with during the day,, what fun activities are you all doing?
is there music? painting? writing? cooking fresh foods? what's involved? maybe taking an afternoon to read a book, you have the time. this is the enjoyment you can experience every day. now what steps can we take. maybe just one or two small steps, to make your current day -- the day with items you have to get to -- and make that day more like your everyday
that perfect day filled with peace and calm and lovely activities that never overstay their welcome, but are just perfectly suited for the moment and for today. and more tomorrow. you never have to dread them because they are just there. never looming shadows in your mind, these activities don't have to be an escape when there's nothing to escape from. They are just wonderful experiences. the kind you hope to experience every day
what would an empty table mean in your life?
an empty shelf, clear of distraction and clutter. is it inviting more and more things? or is the empty shelf enough as is. does it represent an emptiness that needs to be filled. or can it exist in peace as an empty shelf?
is your coffee table also brimming with stacked magazines or papers, coasters and remotes or can it be cleared away at the end of each day.. and maybe stay that way?
a table is a tool, designed to be used, but at the end of the day, after it has served its use, will you continue to force it overtime through the night. or can it be cleared off? can the table represent the peace in your life? -- with the first step being to clear a way the messy parts of the day. the parts that linger in clutter? what about your kitchen table?
beauty in the pause
go, go, go, it never ends. the constant pursuit forward. of growth . of ambition. It's funny that time off always feels like such a foreign concept. that the idea of down time is something to feel guilty of, the way we relegate the most spoon fed activities like binging a show or the endless scrolling on our phones to fill in the time
but there's so much beauty in the pause. in the moments in between. I feel like those moments can be so much more appreciated
they can be the moments we most look for
those moments can be so special
they are the rests in-between the notes of music
the stop to the go
they allow reflecting and time for clarity..
amongst calendars and to-do lists and busy work, it can begin to make the moments of rest feel daunting.. like they should be made guilty, but those are the moments we need more of
they don't have to come from meditation. they can happen in the middle of a walk, or even just in putting your head down on your pillow for a couple moments after a hectic hour of phone calls or a tiresome day of work.
embrace those moments, understand that those breaths you take are rejuvenating. they are there to bring you peace. to be your calm. find value in them. let that rest bring calm, then let it bring anticipation for the moments when the world kicks in again
when money isn't important
I will:
travel more
meet with more people
spend more time with loved ones
write more music
play more live shows
do more art
bike ride more
hike more
workout more
do more yoga
spend more time meditating
spend more time reading
record more podcasts
it is a beautiful quiet, the kind you would miss if not present.
it takes a calm heart and a keen ear to hear the quiet that exists in the softly laden, reverently fallen snow,
as it takes it's time to fall and find it's home just where it lay. the calm, the quiet and peace is everything it brought with it. that's the gift it brought you
take a moment to feel like the snow. sit in the calm and start feel the quiet as much as you hear it -- it's lack of what it's needing to be that gives it everything it needs.
it's fall is as gentle as it's landing and you to can find it's peace.
your heart and mind can find calm that feels as soft, as quiet as the recently fallen snow
Life is full of to-do lists -- go, go, go. There's often a lot of struggle just in coping with the mounting to-do list.
This essay is a small exploration in what it means to simply be, not to always do. When we're not straddled by the burden of pursuit, we become something much more open and that leads to more smiling, more positive reflecting and more happiness.
Is minimalism something we latch on to because it's an easy start and because it's an easy thing to control?
This essay explores some of the thoughts around control and how too often are pursuit of minimalism -- of constant decluttering feels good because it's an easy win. It's an easy thing to control, that is, until that control gets taken away from us. Are we really looking to be more content or are we looking for more things to control.