Birds chirping in the trees,
the scritch of the squirrel’s claws as it runs across the branch
the wind rustling through the leaves
a motor coming to life in the distance
the raised voice of a mother calling out to her child
in the distance, carried on the wind, the temple bells ringing
the sounds of an ordinary morning.
I step into my studio,
the music turned up,
its staccato beats echoing in my shell of my ear
the thrum of the music settling in my bones
as my hands dance over the page.
The rustle of paint as it drags over the paper
the scratching of the pencil as it moves over the page
the swishing of water as I swirl my paintbrush in the bowl.
The knowing that whispers in my mind,
the contraction in my heart space as I contemplate a choice
The simple art of listening.
In January, I decided to experiment with a simple morning ritual: no screens with my first cup of coffee. That means no phone, no Kindle, no laptop. Within a few days I decided to expand that to no books and no newspapers, either. To simply be present with my coffee.
Some days, depending on the Delhi pollution, I have my coffee on the balcony, as I listen to the birds and the quotidian sounds of my neighborhood waking up around me. On other days, I curl up on the couch with my coffee, my fur baby Simba cozied up in my lap. And sometimes, the husband and I listen to some music or plan out our day together.
My favorites are the quiet mornings…the spacious start to my days.
Surrounded as we are by gadgets and screens, by the constant noise in our inboxes and social media feeds, it can be difficult to hear our own thoughts…to listen to our own inner voice. It’s so much easier to be swept up in everyone else’s opinions, drowning in a sea of voices that all seem so sure, so much more certain, than we feel on the inside.
But on these quiet mornings, as I slowly sip my coffee, I’ve finally started hearing myself again, and for that, I am grateful.
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Beautiful! I loved how your words created the morning scenario! Like you, I too love unhurried, calm mornings where one can bring their presence and just that alone can also be enough! It’s so true that in the clamour of our digital world, listening is slowly becoming a lost skill…we need to consciously brings practices that allow us to listen not just to the world around us, but our own hearts! Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful post, Shinjini!
Those unhurried, can mornings really set the tone for the day, don’t they? And having dedicated time without the phone & screens is really helping me listen to myself again!
I could actually hear all those sounds you mentioned in the beginning of this post, Shinjini. So beautiful it felt. 🙂 I too love my quiet mornings, when I finish my yoga session and sit with my coffee. I like to first step out in my balcony, listen to the sparrows chirping in the trees below, in the building compound. I wonder what they discuss! But of late, I am guilty of opening my phone to Scrabble or sometimes the TOI app to check the news updates. I am inspired by your post to try out doing the same. It’s what I used to do some days back. Wonder why I started reaching for my phone. 🙁
I love sparrows! It always makes me happy to see them, though I don’t see them here too often, sadly. I also find myself reaching for my phone some mornings. Now I’ve started putting it to charge far away from me. It’s the easiest, friction-free way to stay away from its allure for some time.
You know, Shinjini, I tried it this morning. I checked my phone for a minute and then put it away, took my coffee out on the balcony, settled in my chair and sipped my brew without any distraction. It was just me, my coffee and the crazy but sweet chirping of the countless sparrows in the trees below. And it felt SO good! So relaxing! I didn’t want that moment to end. 🙂 I am going to do this daily now on. Those few minutes of peace feels like jannat, hai na?😊
Absolutely!! Hope you’ve been enjoying your quiet mornings, Shilpa 🙂
Yes!
I needed this reminder. I keep thinking of starting my days gadget free but it hasn’t happened yet. The first thing I do is check the time when I wake up, on my phone! And then it’s the kindle. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting an alarm clock but just haven’t gotten around to it. I need to, though. One misses so much once the phone comes on. The sounds you described made me feel at peace.
Yes! And I’ve been noticing this even more these days — my mornings are phone-free, but I’m spending way too much time on it in the evenings. It’s a constant struggle, I feel!