Quiet of Night

"Night, the beloved. Night, when words fade and things come alive. When the destructive analysis of day is done, and all that is truly important becomes whole and sound again. When man reassembles his fragmentary self and grows with the calm of a tree." -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Lately I have been waking up each night at 3:00AM. An odd time in my mind and surprisingly on the dot. At first it came upon me like a rude awakening in anticipation of the phone ringing. Yet the phone never rang, the daylight came and no bad news arrived.

The next time it was again, eyes wide open, roll over to look at the clock and "03:00 AM" staring boldly back at me. This time I lay awake not in anticipation of the phone, but questioning the significance of it. So I decided to research it, not in depth but enough to satisfy my curiosity.

The Internet is full of thoughtful responses to the question. It could be my internal clock is somehow adjusting its sleep cycle. To others it could be the 'witching' hour to the peak time of paranormal activity.

There are religious connections for Christians to 3:00 AM regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is called the 'spiritual' time of night in which one should pray. I'm not certain what it is but thinking about it, I had the sense it was my mother waking me. I don't mean that in a literal way because she passed away from Pancreatic Cancer in 2008.

But it made sense to me in my overly active 3:00 AM mind. So I said a couple of prayers for the health of family and friends and also thought of my mother, having a short conversation with her in my mind.

In the bigger scheme of things, I can't tell you for sure what is causing me to awake at this time. I can't even tell myself for sure what I believe it is. It could be my internal clock, something spiritual, my mother's spirit talking to me or someone simply slamming a car door to go to work each day at 3:00 AM.

What I can tell you is that I'm using the time to reflect upon the coming day. I'm taking a few moments in the peaceful quiet of 3:00 AM to remember lessons learned and make the coming day a better one. It could be that 3:00 AM just happens to be my daily time to try and find enlightenment.

What ever it is, I'll enjoy it for as long as it lasts. I'll enjoy my short chats with Mom. I'll enjoy it as a time for prayer. I'll enjoy the quiet still of the night.

Find your moments in the bustling daylight or the stillness of night. Find a time to reflect, to capture a moment of zen or just to enjoy the quiet. It will refresh and renew your spirit for whatever lay in front of you.

Breakfast With Salman Rushdie

"Finding some quiet time in your life, I think, is hugely important." ~Mariel Hemingway

In all of my travels, it is very rare that I come within ear shot or even see famous people. For all of the media exposure that so many get, there are so many others that are average, everyday people like you and me.

So it was with great interest that the man sitting one table away from me seemed very familiar. In my hotel in central London, the business lounge provides breakfast on the top floor for members. This particular morning I chose a later time to arrive.

With only three of us in the room, there was no particular reason that I sat near this man. The only thing that drove me that direction is that it was close to the television. It also gave me a clear view of the Thames River. Well then again, maybe I did have a reason for sitting where I did.

Something about the presence of the man sitting near me and his familiar face told me he was of some importance or celebrity. After a short while it dawned on me that it could very well be Salman Rushdie. Yes, that famous auther who wrote the Satanic Verses which became the scorn of many Muslims. So much that in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini, (leader of Iran at the time) issued a fatwa or decree telling all Muslims to kill Rushdie and his publishers.

Salman Rushdie was placed under police protection by the British government. As of this year (2010), Salman has not been harmed, but it is said that 38 others connected with the book have been killed.

So my mind kept thinking and rationalizing his presence in this place. No body guards and such. But after so many years, I had to think he had slipped back into obscurity and maybe it just wasn't as big of a concern anymore.

But was it really Salman Rushdie? I never asked because I've always felt that there are times of approach and there are times of quiet. This seemed like a time of quiet. We both nodded a good morning to each other and left each other to our quiet and peaceful breakfast.

He may have simply been a person that looked extremely similar to Salman, but I'd like to think otherwise. That I had breakfast with Salman Rushdie and that we enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the morning.

Each of us need those quiet moments in time. To pull ourselves back from the hurried and noise filled life that surrounds us each day. A time to reflect on things that matter to us. A time to just let down our guard a little bit and not be looking over our shoulder.

Maybe next time I'll ask to be sure, but then it might disappoint me. Then the peaceful and quiet breakfast that I had with Salman Rushdie will disappear forever for both myself and for him.

Christmas Quiet

"The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others' burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas." -WC Jones

Here we are, the day before the day of the eve of "THE" day. Another day in the week you might think. But each day is special and wonderful if you think about it. There will of course be last minute shopping. The patience of people will be tested. The problems in your life will not magically disappear.

But like a gentle snow fall in the forest, for a short time we can enjoy the 'coming home' this holiday season brings to us. If you take the time to listen to the gentle rush of a breeze through that forest of new fallen snow. If you take the time to enjoy the moments of this season. It will be very much like coming home to mother.

The words to a song by Ben Lee that kind of resonate this time of year read;

Sweet mother I'm comin' home
Tell me mother can you hear me sing?
Your love is everything
Heart and soul
Breath and skin
Your love is everything

They come from Song For The Divine Mother Of The Universe. The link is to the song on Amazon...so no surprises.

What I like is that we each can find a song in our hearts to sing. And that no matter how it is sung, we are not alone during this season. If we simply take time to hear that quiet gentle song inside, we'll be prepared for most anything.