Theme: Quiet - Do You Mind

Quiet

While last month’s focus was about the importance of using our voices, this month is about Quiet. We need quiet for reflection, recovery, and growth—and yet, it’s often hard to find true peace and quiet. I’ll explain why I value reading books that others try to silence, and I’ll share what it’s like to have a high-frequency hearing loss and constant ringing in the ears.

The Empty Nest

2 September 2019 | 3-Minute Read

The Empty Nest

Today my house is very, very quiet. Last week, I helped one daughter move into her dormitory in New York, said goodbye to my husband of twenty-one years as he moves to another hemisphere, and this morning, put my other daughter on a flight to Italy. I returned to a house occupied now only by . . . CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

Quiet Time to Recover, Revisited

16 September 2019 | 3-Minute Read

Quiet Time to Recover, Revisited

We follow a practice because it becomes part of us. We meditate. We learn to feel and name our feelings. Then, when the storms come—and they always will—we act without wasted energy . . . when the deluge sweeps everything from us, support is . . . CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

It’s All In My Head

26 September 2019 | 9-Minute Read

It's All in My Head

I first discovered my tinnitus when I was in college and a friend told me he’d just come from the on-campus hearing clinic to find out what was causing the ringing in his ears. Looking at him in disbelief, I said, “You mean everyone doesn’t hear that?” I seriously thought that the ringing I always heard was normal... CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

I Read Banned Books

5 September 2019 | 5-Minute Read

I Read Banned Books

One thing that bothers me (and there is much that bothers me about censorship) is that, out of fear and narrow-mindedness, people want to shut down ideas that make them feel threatened. Threatened by that which they don’t understand, they want to silence it. But banning books means that they’ll never get it . . . CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

Book Review: Too Much Noise by Ann McGovern, Illustrated by Simms Taback

19 September 2019 | 4-Minute Read

Book Review: Too Much Noise by Ann McGovern, Illustrated by Simms Taback

An old man named Peter lives in an old house that makes far too many noises. The floor squeaks, the bed creaks, the leaves rustle, the tea kettle whistles—a real cacophony, right? . . . CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

A Conversation With… Anna Veronesi

29 September 2019 | 1-Minute Read

A Conversation With… Anna Veronesi

My guest for the theme of “Quiet” is Anna Veronesi. Anna has been a healing arts practitioner for over 20 years and is an acupuncturist, massage, cranial sacral, and biomagnetic pair therapist . . . CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

Quiet Time to Recover

12 September 2019 | 10-Minute Read

Quiet Time to Recover

I’ve just finished taking an online quiz that scores how the events in my life right now are influencing my stress level. According to the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, a score over 300 puts a person at 80% risk of illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, anxiety, and more. I scored 454 . . . CLICK TO READ ARTICLE

Critically Endangered: Silence

23 September 2019 | 5-Minute Read

Critically Endangered: Silence

According to sound activist Gordon Hempton, “Silence is on the verge of extinction.” As I sit at my favorite bakery, sipping my tea and writing this article, I tend to agree. I hear the espresso machine whirring . . . CLICK TO READ ARTICLE