We live in an age when skim reading seems to be the new normal, and so we’re in constant danger of skimming ourselves to death. Certainly some books ought to be skimmed. . . But if we aren’t careful, our ability to do deep reading will become a constant and losing struggle. Karen Swallow Prior Dark
Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self. Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart Suddenly the world seems to assault with its noise and I realize it is deafening me. So I turn it off. And I
It has always taken me a long time to think of something to say, and then more often than not I say it to myself. Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow Sometimes it feels too loud and busy, even when it doesn’t appear that way. That’s a sign that it’s time for intentional solitude and silence, those
Our stories make us who we are. And each story has its own purpose and its own reward. Each story rings true and each story is worthy of the ages. There is no such thing as an insignificant life. Laurence Overmire, New York Minute: An Actor's Memoir Here, in the sweetness of predawn I sit
Solitude matters, and for some people, it's the air they breathe. Susan Cain I step out onto the deck with a first cup of morning coffee and breathe slow and deep. The cool, fresh morning air all the sweeter having been forced to shut doors and windows, and turn the air conditioner on to escape
It is in solitude that we discover that being is more important than having and that we are worth more than the results of our efforts. In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended but a gift to be shared. Henri Nouwen Today, I’m joining in with a group
This—the landscape of home—would lure me back with its winds and desperate clouds and endless expanse . . . Linda Joy Myers, Song of the Plains, A Memoir of Family, Secrets, and Silence The map on the navigation system in the car is void of anything. There are no lines indicating roads or railway tracks;