Privilege Blog

A Sigh Of Relief At Quiet, Or, Saturday Morning at 8:53am

Ah. It’s quiet here. The first Saturday in some time that I’m alone in the house. Even though my tree  still has to be un-baubled, the garage de-lit, floors de-cluttered, it is so lovely to hear almost no sound other than the rattle of heating vents. Maybe an occasional appliance whirrs. I suppose I will have to clear the Whole Foods Frosted Wheat Squares off the coffee table, but at least I put them there.

This middle time of life is one of the few when we can strike the right balance between occupied and lonely. Weightless and anchored still.

I even have a soundtrack. See what you think of this informal dressing-room rehearsal of The Band’s song. Some middle-aged people enjoy themselves quite a lot.

Wilco, Nick Lowe, and Mavis Staples Rehearse “The Weight”

All thanks for this link go to Jamie at A Desert Fete and Hank + Lucy. Jamie designed Privilege, and her aesthetic sensibilities are among my favorites. As are photos of her wholly adorable baby boy.

Have a wonderful weekend.

24 Responses

  1. Some nice overlap here with Duchesse’s last post . . . I love my solitude, when I can find it. Love my husband, too (and luckily, he’s neither needy nor noisy/chatty), but it’s been a challenge, since his retirement, finding time to sit quietly in my very own space with not a soul around. Or noisily, if I want to, dancing by myself to Wilco, The Band, whomever. . . Enjoy your time on your own!

  4. What a great post Lisa-simple and succinct. I am also dodging detritus-we just moved prior to Christmas and this morning brought a need to unload the big boxes of books and small collectiles. My husband has just left for a morning surf session and I am blissfully alone to organize and create my vignettes..ah. Thank you for the link–Mavis carries it. Happy Saturday. Happy New Year.

  7. This reminds me of Pico Iyer’s 1 January NYT piece, THE JOY OF QUIET, which I read to a friend who came by to provide comfort while I have the flu. I’ve spent my life living with others (family of six, boyfriends, husband) and craving solitude. Now I live alone, and if all else were well, I find I could be quite happy with much alone time—reading, writing, thinking—and connecting with the world periodically, either by having guests visit, or going out myself to walk, see family or friends, or go to a museum, a cafe, a restaurant. Since 2008, I’ve shed my TV and Platinum Cable, I rarely listen to the radio—too many worldwide tragedies I hear about in detail but cannot fix—I have no landline telephone (there used to be two plus two cell phones) now my Internet is dry loop and I have just my smart phone. With sadness, I bid the shrinking SF Chronicle adieu, I’m down to the paper NYT, The New Yorker, books, music, films through iTunes and Netflix, and the occasional TV show streaming or on Netflix. I read a small number of blogs. I am on Twitter and Facebook, but I am using them less. For now at least, I am happy to leave the chatter at bay. Here is Pico Iyer: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-quiet.html?pagewanted=all

    1. Wow Katherine. I responded to that Pico Iyer piece too… I googled the Big Sur retreat that he mentioned and am planning a silent retreat there this year (but with a friend of course!)
      Things like that are better when shared.

  11. I’ve listened to this twice already while preparing dinner. Clearly your good taste is not only limited to clothes.

  12. Oh that delicious bit of solitude. I wouldn’t give my life away or trade a thing, but that is what I miss. Revel in it. And by the way, I love that song…

  13. I’ve been enjoying the quiet and am reading magazines today. Nothing too heavy – I need light reading after the holiday rush.

    I received my new copy of T&C today. There is an article (about her WASPy mother) by Alexandra Wentworth that I think that you and others here would enjoy.

    Cheers – must go un-bauble the Christmas tree!

    1. FYI – the article is on pg. 86 and is titled “The Wisdom of Muffie”.

      Apparently, the article is an excerpt from a book titled “Ali in Wonderland and Other Tall Tales” to be published by HarperCollins in Feb 2012.

  14. Um-um!! That is one fine version of Mr. Robertson’s song. Yes it is.

    As for solitude, it’s as necessary as oxygen to me, and I need loads of it. We (there’re just two of us along with our two cats) had family visit at Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as this past week. It was pure joy having them with us, the best holidays in recent memory.

    However, after driving my great-niece and her three year-old daughter home to Sacramento last night, I was practically quivering with delight at the prospect of spending the next 2 1/2 hours by myself in the car. Me and my music. It was heavenly.

  15. I have a lot of alone time, in my studio painting. Usually I listen to music too.
    Of course, when I’m having a hard time painting, I don’t actually feel alone, in fact I feel “crowded” with unfinished canvases staring at me. I think I need some quality alone time – a walk on the beach or something like that.
    I’ve always longed for “A Room of My Own”.

  17. Oh, yes. The quiet. Something there is very little of in a house that is growing a toddler. And yet when it comes…. Bliss.

    Even better if a beautiful song punctures it from time to time.

    Happy New Year!

  18. Catherine nailed it- thought immediately of Pico Iyer’s piece in the Times as well. Catching up on all these delicious posts (and equally delicious comments) and sending big post-Maui, post-NYE love to you, dear one. xo

  19. I need to take some Lisa-lessons. No one is relaxing and listening to life at 8:53 on a Saturday morning, unless they want to get run over by the Patsy train.

  20. Hi there, nice to catch up again. As our kids range from 14 to eight we seem to be constantly trying to find time for some peace. Reading this makes me want to enjoy where we are more, as looks like there is time and space in the future.

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