Quiet and Disquiet

/ Pat

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I’m wanting a quiet day – maybe a day to process all that has happened with the U.S. election. JB has asked a couple of times if I’m okay and I tell him I am. I know I am, although I feel a sense of disquiet. Maybe it is because my country is in turmoil and I like closure. I was looking forward to election day because I thought it would bring closure – but instead I find myself at the beginning of a long unknown.

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I have felt a need to write, because writing clarifies and expands my understanding while also bringing a sense of healing when my heart is unsettled. But writing is hard work – and my energy has been low while my chronic pain is annoying. Fatigue and pain create a foggy mist through which I see dimly. Life seems strange right now.

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For now I am finding joy in sharing some of the strangely beautiful orchids I found on my first visit of the season to the Naples Botanical Gardens on Tuesday. I am finding peace in enjoying all that is beautiful, all that is good and right. I find comfort in the ticking of the clock, the rising and setting sun, the rhythms of life. I was lifted up by the beautiful sound of 100 well-trained voices of the Naples Philharmonic Youth Chorus on Sunday. Yes, life is a miracle.

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Yes, I can fill the disquiet with the quiet of all that is beautiful and honest. I can respond with integrity and humility as I love others as I have been loved. In a world that so often seems loud and brash, I enjoy reaching out and being touched with gentle love.

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I will turn away from the disquiet of revenge, hate and anger, instead finding quiet peace within the teachings of my faith.

15 thoughts on “Quiet and Disquiet”

  1. Thanks Pat, for helping me see the constant in the face of change. It is easy to let fear cause us to narrow our focus and miss the beauty all around us. It comforts me to know God is still in control.

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    • Yes it is comforting. I think it will be a very interesting but bumpy four years. I am concerned that a lot of people will be hurt from this stupid election.

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  3. Calming pictures Pat. I can tell that nature photography soothes your soul. I so agree about writing and, at the same time the energy it takes.
    Our church had a gathering last Wednesday which included a community gathering time at the end of several hours. I joined t that time after a wonderful Ethics class. We sat together for the last 1/2 hour with lit candles, genuine expressions of feelings, supportiveness, & singing. There were many feelings expressed that began the grieving process for many, most especially for many fearful LGBTQ folks who are really feeling sad and anxious.
    As for me, I try to stay calm and carry on, but empathy calls me to understand why so many others have cause to feel what they feel, much beyond what my not-very-marginalized existence might demand. The lenses that can expand as we age, when we are able to “walk in another’s moccasins” and validate all those complex feelings.

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  4. I think we all know where we should reside, both in mind and spirit. Sometimes that way gets clouded and distorted. It is at times like that we need to focus on what we know to be honest and pure. You have done that beautifully, both in words and pictures. Keep the faith.

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