Back in grad school I used to cat-sit for my friend and mentor, the novelist Patricia Henley. She and her then-husband lived in an old redbrick schoolhouse way out in the Indiana countryside. Thanks for reading The Big Quiet!
"There’s a moment (just after you’ve closed whatever book you’ve been reading and before you’ve gotten up to move) when you take a breath and the world swims with stillness and possibility..."
Yes, this is so true! I've felt it so many times. I love this post, thank you.
I felt that you were describing me when you said you would weep to think of an hour reading. And then all the other stuff about to do lists, and swallowing rage, etc. Oh yes. I forced myself to take a break today and began scribbling down a poem that might never get beyond the scribble phase. It starts with a question: When will I not be tired?
Beautiful work here. Hoping you get an hour to read soon…I’m older and have the privilege of having some of those hours. It’s a salve for sure. Your writing, so real. Thank you.
Nice to know I'm not the only one who feels like I haven't done enough. That's a neat trick the mind pulls, to make you feel a common thing and believe it must be you alone who suffers.
The segment you wrote about being in midlife and wanting to weep when you consider an uninterrupted hour to read--totally relatable. Also the chores. And the existential question of, have I done enough?
I want to tell you that reading your poem reminded me today of David Whyte's "Winter Apple." Beautiful, as always. Glad to be in the trenches with you, excavating stories of goodness and peace in the midst of such incessant turmoil.
I am so glad you write about this kind of loneliness. Thank you. In the poetry and your observations about the state of things, the worry of it all, we can feel less alone. Your piece has brought a stillness here in this room.
Steve, I know exactly what you are writing about, reading until the light is gone, making it impossible to continue! This is a beautiful post, be it heart-wrenching and melancholic. Do take time to read again until the light fades, at least once in awhile. (Life really is too short not to.)
This is a thoughtful, gentle post to read in my early morning here. (Not Australia right now - currently in Rotorua, Aetearoa).
Having just spent some time reading about the madness in the world overnight, your words are a good reminder to me that many of us feel like this.
I recently made myself rearrange my priorities and spend some time reading actual "books." The online world - even Substack - does retrain us towards short attention spans. So an hour or so a day is what I aim for, immersing myself in something sustained and mind engaging. Not managing that right now - but my excuse is that I'm travelling, and there is so much to see and do.
I loved the poem, too. You recreate that sense of loneliness extremely well..
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply. Totally agree about real books vs the online world. So glad you got some time recently! Also nice to know you’re traveling!
"There’s a moment (just after you’ve closed whatever book you’ve been reading and before you’ve gotten up to move) when you take a breath and the world swims with stillness and possibility..."
Yes, this is so true! I've felt it so many times. I love this post, thank you.
🙏🙏
I felt that you were describing me when you said you would weep to think of an hour reading. And then all the other stuff about to do lists, and swallowing rage, etc. Oh yes. I forced myself to take a break today and began scribbling down a poem that might never get beyond the scribble phase. It starts with a question: When will I not be tired?
Excellent 🙌🙌
This is really good, Steve ...
Thanks, Jed! Appreciate how you always get it.
“A sense that everything was beautiful and tragic in equal proportions, including me and my life, and in the end we’d all be ok even if we weren’t.”
This exactly, all my life.
❤️❤️
Enjoyed your post very much. Time to restart. Put your dishes off for an hour. And read like you used to.
❤️❤️
Beautiful work here. Hoping you get an hour to read soon…I’m older and have the privilege of having some of those hours. It’s a salve for sure. Your writing, so real. Thank you.
Many thanks, Jeff!
Now— that moment when
it's too dark to read. Be still.
The night draws in close.
I love this reflection. Thank you for sharing the redbrick schoolhouse and the piles of books and the late spring loneliness.
Thank you for reading! 🙏
Oh my. Yes, horses are still good. Once again, you nailed it.
Didn’t have to tell you that! 😅
Nice to know I'm not the only one who feels like I haven't done enough. That's a neat trick the mind pulls, to make you feel a common thing and believe it must be you alone who suffers.
Absolutely.
Your words are magic to me…soothing and brightly shining.
Steve,
The segment you wrote about being in midlife and wanting to weep when you consider an uninterrupted hour to read--totally relatable. Also the chores. And the existential question of, have I done enough?
I want to tell you that reading your poem reminded me today of David Whyte's "Winter Apple." Beautiful, as always. Glad to be in the trenches with you, excavating stories of goodness and peace in the midst of such incessant turmoil.
❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️
I am so glad you write about this kind of loneliness. Thank you. In the poetry and your observations about the state of things, the worry of it all, we can feel less alone. Your piece has brought a stillness here in this room.
So glad to hear it.
This is an absolutely beautiful post, Steve. Thank you.
Thank you, Terri. Means the world.
Your words are a balm. Thank you.
🙏🙏 thank you
Steve, I know exactly what you are writing about, reading until the light is gone, making it impossible to continue! This is a beautiful post, be it heart-wrenching and melancholic. Do take time to read again until the light fades, at least once in awhile. (Life really is too short not to.)
Yes! Thank you.
Hi Steve
This is a thoughtful, gentle post to read in my early morning here. (Not Australia right now - currently in Rotorua, Aetearoa).
Having just spent some time reading about the madness in the world overnight, your words are a good reminder to me that many of us feel like this.
I recently made myself rearrange my priorities and spend some time reading actual "books." The online world - even Substack - does retrain us towards short attention spans. So an hour or so a day is what I aim for, immersing myself in something sustained and mind engaging. Not managing that right now - but my excuse is that I'm travelling, and there is so much to see and do.
I loved the poem, too. You recreate that sense of loneliness extremely well..
Best Wishes from over the big lake - Dave :)
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply. Totally agree about real books vs the online world. So glad you got some time recently! Also nice to know you’re traveling!