Finding Solitude

It can be very hard to find those few minutes of peace in this busy world in which we live, I know for some out there it is even more difficult to find with children scurrying around and demanding your attention and I take my hat off to anyone who manages to snatch those rare moments of silence in this ever noisy world.

But find it we must, even if it is only a few minutes here and there because they make such a massive difference.

For example in this beautiful sunshine we have been blessed with, for about 10 minutes I managed to sit in the garden, eyes closed just feeling the warmth of the sun on my face, a seagull sang overhead and in that moment I was transported to an exotic beach , I could see myself lazing on a sun lounger reaching for a cocktail and not the cup of tea sat on the table next to me.

For those brief few moments I was somewhere else, away from all the stress, the noise, the everyday craziness and it was absolute heaven. I’ve heard of people having power naps before so why not power dreams?

Another particular favourite day dream is the one where I am perched in a bay window seat, sipping a glass of wine (not all my dreams involve alcohol I hasten to add!) and just gazing out over a wide expansive ocean or an Italian lake, a notebook nestled in my lap as I ponder my next big novel. I can hear the ocean, the gentle ssshhhh as the waves caress the sand, the occasional song of a passing bird, I can even smell the seaweed at times and I am so relaxed it’s a wonder I don’t nod off.

Perhaps you should try it, try to remember a happy memory? Where is your favourite place to be? Can you recall what sounds you heard? Perhaps you are barefoot? What does the ground feel like beneath your feet? Is it warm sand or tickling grass? Or are you sailing on a glistening ocean, being gently rocked to sleep, with only the sounds of the water lapping against the side and the occasional ting as the sail it’s fastenings touch the mast with every sway of the boat?

Wherever you chose to go in your mind is up to you, it’s your dream and you can go there whenever you want to, even if it is for just a little while, I hope you will feel as refreshed as I did before life returns to normal.

I find snatching these few minutes so invaluable in my writing, not just because in the silence, Bob has a fighting chance of being heard, but because it stirs my memories of places I have been and what it felt like to be there, if I can capture that essence in my writing then I can transport my readers there too and maybe they will even want to stay, rest awhile and read the rest of the book.

So tell me where would you be?