Be Still

This world is programmed to move at the speed of light. Things change again before they even finish the changing they're already doing. News breaks. Social media feeds scroll forward endlessly. Phones buzz and buzz and buzz with text messages. The To Do List beckons and mocks and grows longer, even as you cross an item off its top. There is constant noise and motion, both real and digital, every moment of every day.

These things aren't evil. Some are necessary and many are welcome. But they pour in, a steady stream, each demanding some form of attention, even if that attention is to scroll past or hit the delete button.

It makes a girl's head spin.

When the evening turns the sky to black velvet and the lights in the houses wink out, I put my laptop aside, power off the television, set my iPad to sleep, render my cell phone mute. Freshly washed, I slip between the sheets of my bed, the only sounds: the gentle whir of the ceiling fan and the quiet breathing of my husband deep in sleep. I settle in and reach to my bedside table for a book. A real paper-and-ink book. No more screens and no more power buttons. Just me, in the peaceful silence, and these pages.

And it is here that I can finally be still.


For the days I want to write but need that extra push, and, just as much, for the days when the prompt inspires me, all on its own, whether I need extra motivation or not.