Silence is apparent.

There are no voices around me. No call lights dinging. No pages rustling. No cries of pain. No shuffle of walkers. No phones ringing. My environment is quiet.

To start my long weekend off from work, I drove to visit my family. I found myself sitting at my sister’s kitchen counter honestly digging around in my brain trying to find my to-do list. When I couldn’t find anything in there, I texted Lance…”Is there something I should be working on?”

Nope. Nada.

What a weird feeling. My sister and my niece are napping and I am sitting in the quiet kitchen.

However, if I really listen, I can hear the humming of background sounds that typically get drowned out it the shuffle of everyday life. I was thinking how nice it is to finally have a moment of solitude. Of silence.

That is far from the truth. It is a relief to hear these sounds. The vibration of the refrigerator running. My dogs collars jingling as they shake their fur out in the garage. The static on the baby monitor. My own heart beating. The quiet of a focused mind that isn’t juggling 10 tasks.

It feels like meditation. To sit here. Uninterrupted.

It’s peaceful.

It is not very often that our lives get this opportunity. We are moving from sun-up to sun-down. At least I am. Even today, on my day off, I was up at 6 AM and working out by 6:15. I took the pups to the park and prepared my day all before 8:30 AM.

I love these days.

These are the days when my calendar notification says, “No events scheduled for today”.

They are the kind we should all take advantage of; or perhaps schedule them into our calendars if necessary.

Everyone deserves a break. Even if for 10 minutes.