Week #46 – Summer Fun Challenge: “Quiet Time!”

Fun with Photo Booth!  (photo credit: Grace Church)

Fun with Photo Booth! (photo credit: Grace Church)

Week #46 – Summer Fun Challenge: “Quiet Time!”

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and welcome to week SEVEN of our Summer Fun Challenge! 

We (my siblings and I) grew up in a house with “Quiet Time.”  That meant that after a certain time at night — you simply did not make noise.  And if you did — well, my parents were the type that actually imposed consequences for actions!  So…let’s just say, you didn’t want to go there!

As a kid, being able to stay up late to watch Honeymooners re-runs seemed like no big deal.  In retrospect, I totally understand.  My father had to get up very early to go to work — and my mother got up with him — so sleep was really important.  It’s pretty important to me now, too — and I don’t even have kids!

As grown-ups, we Churches still love our quiet time!  Rob especially.  He loved hours upon hours of solitude.  It’s one thing he really taught me as an adult — the value of time alone.

And yet…here we are, at the height of summer and busier than ever, right?!  The shore is bustling with activity…daytrippers, weekenders, extended-stayers, landscapers, lifeguard whistles, concerts, activities, something to do…every…single…day!  Perhaps you feel it too — the pressure that builds as we turn the calendar to August and “Back-to-School” looms in the distance.  So much to do…so little time…and the countdown clock to Labor Day is on!

Our instinct is to pack it all in…to do more, to take advantage of the nice weather, to make hay while the sun shines!

And yet — our bodies are telling us just the opposite!  To sit, to rest, to watch, to wait.  Can you feel it too?  The outside pressure to squeeze every last drop out of our long summer days — and the internal pleading to stop and slow down?

It’s enough to make a girl (or boy) crazy!

Your assignment for this week: Don’t get crazy…GET QUIET!  It is easy to get swept up into the busyness of summer.  Even vacations — intended to take you away from it all — can take on a life of their own so big and harried, you come back feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation!  Fight the urge to pack it all in…and take some time to get quiet.  This may be as simple as turning off the TV and going to bed early.  It may mean sleeping in or lounging in bed with a good book rather than rushing out to run errands.  It may mean sitting on your porch or deck and watching the sprinkler sprinkle and the grass grow for a bit.  It could mean staying on the beach until after sunset, rather than rushing out to eat dinner at the same time as the rest of the world.  Or sitting on a bench and watching night fall and the moon rise over your hometown.  It may even mean a few precious hours home alone to clean or tidy up — or blasting your favorite rock music when there’s no one else around to tell you to turn it down!

When the world turns up the noise — take a hint and schedule some QUIET TIME!

Spread Happyness — and share your thoughts in the comments!  What does QUIET TIME mean to you?!

7/31/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

PS: FIVE WEEKS TO GO!  Our FUN LIST is still growing — keep ’em coming!!! 

– “One Tank Trips”
– Surprise trip for spouse or loved one
– Kayaking
– Beach time
– BBQ’s
– Tourist for the day in nearby city
– Walking the boards
– Rock climbing
– Scuba diving
– Touring an estate
– Time with family
– Sitting on the porch
– Watching for rainbows
– Learning to surf
– Gardening
– Writing a book
– Working on a “summer” project
– Moving to a new town
– Planning a spa day (or half-day, or even lunch hour)
– Taking Fridays (or Mondays) off!
– Day at the ballpark (Minor League stadiums are great, too!)
– Outside concerts/music events
– Hot air balloon ride/festival
– Pool volleyball (a Church-family classic!)
– Take yourself or someone you love for ice cream!
– Weed your front yard garden (and talk with neighbors and folks walking by!)
– Lose yourself in wonderful music, either listening or singing
– Play in the grassy backyard
– Play with your dog (or maybe your neighbor’s dog!)
– Sing karaoke
– Explore your town, county, state…through food and drink!
– Visit a farm
– Make plans to see friends you don’t often get to see (or schedule a gathering!)
– Blind-folded Make-overs!  (Great for a rainy day!  Bonus points if you go out in public after!)

(What are we missing?  Send me your ideas and I’ll add them to the list!)

2 thoughts on “Week #46 – Summer Fun Challenge: “Quiet Time!”

  1. Ted Aanensen

    My Dear Grace
    You continue to try to make us find Peace and Happiness. I thank you for your hard work.
    My favorite quiet time is probably between 6 and 7 am with a cup of coffee on my porch. If I am lucky the ocean surrounds me if not I suffer with a great cup of coffee and watch the birds and butterflies flutter and chirp. How cool is that.
    Keep up the wonderful work
    Ted
    Ps I sure understand ” quiet time”

    1. Grace Church Post author

      Hi Ted! Thanks so much for continuing to follow along and chime in! I am so jealous of morning people — because first thing is truly the quietest time of the day. You won’t have to worry about me disturbing your quiet at that time of day! 😉

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