Peace

A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live.
Bertrand Russel


Ryan is a writer. I am a reader.
Needless to say, we value the quiet.

Our home is a peaceful one. And this is largely due to the absence of one small, generally accepted element of most households: cable television.

We do have a television set and will often watch movies or a series on DVD (my current obsession: Dexter) but unless we are purposefully watching something, our television is not on. I do not see television as evil, only... unnecessary. Liam will be allowed to watch things from time to time, but I do not see it being a large part of his life. There are much more interesting things to do.

I often listen to music or NPR but these are both lacking in the quick transitions and constant chatter found in commercials and many programs. Ryan and I are quite comfortable with silence... and can often sit with each other quietly for extended periods of time; each of us lost in our own thoughts or activities.

The calmness of our home is often commented on; particularly those who are used to the television playing constantly in the background. What is funny to me is that it is often viewed negatively. "Your house is so QUIET," they will say. Or my personal favorite: "If you don't have television... what do you DO?!"

Well, as I previously stated, we will often watch a movie together (we are Netflix junkies). But we also read. And talk. And have people over. And go out. There is laundry to be done and dinner to be cooked and floors to be swept. We play with our dog(s). We spend time with our baby. I am sure as Liam gets older, his antics will be plenty entertaining. Often, it feels like there are not enough hours in the day for all that we do and I find myself wondering exactly how people have any time to watch television at all!

What do I do? Have you seen this face? It is the perfect sort of face for gazing in wonder.

The quiet stillness of our home is most evident during the day when it is just Liam and me. I am enjoying it while it lasts. I know that little boys are "busy" personified.. and I am honestly looking forward to having our home filled with toddler giggles and silly conversations, but I do hope that Liam will glean some appreciation for the quiet and the creativity that can be found there. I hope that he finds a sense of peace from living with his Papa and me.