Quiet

I've started getting up earlier with the thought that I'd have a more relaxed start to my day and since I've also started meditating, and my book on how to meditate says that the room should be as quiet as possible, I've found that now I'm starting my day with a significant period of quiet.  This is most unusual for me as I even sleep with my iPod on all night next to my bed playing classical music and during the day the stereo or the dvd player is always on.  I've actually feared silence as I associated silence with loneliness.  But I'm learning that the two are not the same.  It is actually nice to awaken (thank heavens for dimmer switches) and gently start my day with a cup of tea (today it is Goddess Oolong), read the blogs I follow on Google Reader, catch up on my mail, move to tending the pets, write a blog post if I think of a topic, and then move to my yoga mat and my meditation followed by my yoga and then a lovely shower outside.  I am not moving my iPod out into my living room where I can hook it up to my stereo and hear it throughout the house until after my yoga, which means that I'm now starting my day with nearly 2 hrs (well at least 1 1/2 hrs) of quiet.  It actually feels very good and that seems quite amazing to me.  I don't know that I'd like an entire day like this, but it is lovely to wake up more gently and concentrate on being present.  I've even silenced all my chiming clocks so I don't have that cacophony every hour.  During the day I really never even consciously registered their patter and when I'm meditating or having my quiet time, they interfered so now they just swing their pendulums and quietly tick.  Of course, silence is relative as Chauncey is now settling into his bed which is filled with something like beans and that makes sound, but it is gentle and he will find the right spot here shortly.  The pets also seem to be getting into my new routine.  As long as I make sure I tend their needs first, they allow me the space and relative quiet for meditation and yoga.  So now, I need to scoop the litter boxes on my way back to my room for the aforementioned meditation and yoga and then I'll have my lovely shower with my new boardwalk out to the shower so that I can walk barefooted!  The day is off to a promising start as I hope yours is also!