A Lonesome Jubilee

I have the next four days to myself. I have nothing to do but basque in the amazing, succulent and wholesome solitude that quiets our noisy world. My own world happens to be incredibly noisy most of the time. There’s not a lot of room for solitude in my busy schedule. I’m constantly running from one job to the other or trying to make a deadline or running errands or fulfilling a calling or any of the countless other things that are required of me. Even just the simple act of thinking about these things, not necessarily doing them, causes an unwelcome clamor in my life. Even further, all of the “conveniences” that we all take advantage of today (ie – cell phones, computers, PDAs, Blackberries, portable televisions, automobiles, microwaves, heck – even running water) have caused me less and less convenience the more I use them. Do you remember when calling somebody meant you had to take time out of your day to really sit down and just focus on the person at the other end of the line? It was special. Do you remember when watching a television show meant scheduling time to sit down with your family and enjoying some laughs together? It was fun. Do you remember when cooking a meal meant spending time preparing the food, getting your hands dirty, setting a table and gathering together in a small kitchen? It was beautiful. None of those things exist anymore because, well I can text and talk on my cell phone at the same time that I’m watching something I recorded on my DVR and all the while “dinner” is being “cooked” in my handy, dandy microwave “oven.” Oh yeah, and did I mentioned I’m checking my email too? AAAAAHHHHH! It’s too much sometimes. It’s way too much sometimes.
What’s even better is the new and more vicious keeping up with the Jones’ mentality that has come along with these advances in technology (and I use the word advances very loosely here). I couldn’t care less if my friend has the newest I-Phone, the most expensive car, the trendiest clothes, the most powerful microwave, the biggest plasma screen TV, or the newest I-Pod. I don’t care. What I do care about is their well-being. I care about whether or not their basic needs are being met. I care about their happiness. I care about the way they feel not the way that their gadgets make them feel. And all of these advances are not rocketing us into the future; in fact they’re sending us spiraling even further into an isolationist, archaic, every-man-for-himself society. When was the last time you saw somebody look up from their PDA and actually take the blue tooth of their ear, smile and say hi? It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?
I say all of this at the risk that somebody out there is going to pass me off as some Berkley educated, Boulderite who hugs trees for a living, but the truth is I’m just a simple girl. I enjoy things like sunshine, a good book, a warm smile, a friend, the wind in my hair, a fulfilling conversation (not a textual conversation…a real face-to-face sit down). In essence, I enjoy life; just unadorned, uncomplicated, pure life. And I’m going to do nothing but revel in all that life has to offer for the next four days. So, here’s my advice to all of you : Turn off your phones, close your laptops, put your I-Pods away and listen to the beautiful silence, foreign as it may be, and spend some good quality time inside your own brain. Learn who you are when there is nothing to interrupt the process.

Five things I’m grateful for –

1. Peace
2. Silence
3. Stillness
4. Eternity
5. Mortal Life

Top five life lessons I’ve learned the hard way –

1. You can’t please everybody all of the time.
2. Saying “No” does not equal death.
3. As much as you want to grip on to your youth with white knuckles, you have to grow up, and most days, it’s a pretty mind-blowing process.
4. The world does not stop spinning if your heart is broken, you lose a loved one or you get a paper cut (I hate paper cuts).
5. You have to trust that Heavenly Father’s plan for you is a well thought-out symphony that you can only conduct if you are worthy to receive the guidance and love of the Holy Ghost.

May your minds be opened that you might see every blade of grass and every ray of sunshine.