…the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
I wandered lonely as a cloud, William Wordsworth
Ever locked yourself in the bathroom when the noise, the questions or the space gets a little too loud, insistent or suffocating?
I know it’s true for me ( smiling sheepishly here). Between kids, chores, housekeeping and when every second sentence begins with the word “Amma!” (as loudly and emphatically as possible); a breather is found in this unlikely place where no one questions your motives.
The bathroom offers the solitude I crave to recentre, recalibrate and surrender my sighs to heaven. Weird! I know. But that solitude is priceless. The silence strengthening.
On a normal day I would have had the house to myself- the kids at school, the husband at work. This lockdown, which has gone on for over two months now, has been a trying time for me. Not because of the extra work or the confinement but because finding such moments have been difficult.
If you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious, being alone to be mindful helps calm the storm. Experiencing that solitude feels like the clearing up of a fogged glass- a revelation of what’s inside. No words need be spoken, no thoughts explained, no discussion entered into; like a doorway to the Lord has opened up and my innermost being has found quietude. Bliss! As Wordsworth so succinctly put it.
Photo courtesy: Joyal Antony Thomas
With Words 