“Peace and quiet”–two words that is so elusive. You can’t have one without the other. Whoever heard of peace without quiet – I haven’t. But I have found quiet times to be peaceful for very short time. I do not experience that situation often.

It seems lately that noise is so much louder and annoying than it used to be. Take the phone ringing – sometimes I feel like tearing the phone out of the wall. My dad used to do that, especially when his daughters were demanding their turn to use the phone. I understand why he did that. We had no phone calls for at least three days. The phone company couldn’t understand why they had to replace our phones so often. I remember when I ripped the phone out of the wall–I felt really good when I did that.

Then you have the doorbell. What can I say? It used to be pleasant to answer the doorbell. Nowadays you have to be careful before you answer the door. You never know who is there. So why do we even have door chimes? It used to be better than knocking on a door. Now I just resent having to answer the door at all.

I miss hearing the birds singing, but the air conditioners, pool pumps, and police car sirens, drown out nature’s serenades. The sounds of nature can be soothing and restful.

Where do we go to find peace and quiet? I don’t mean that we have to climb to the top of a mountain.  I would be so tired all I could hear was the loud beating of my heart filling my ears. You could go to the beach, but you still have all the noise of motorcycles and people. You can’t hear the soothing sound of the ocean.

I used to get up at four in the morning to take my walks. I loved that time. It was so quiet and peaceful. I used that time to talk to God. Eventually it was not a good idea to venture out on your own.

Now that I am retired, you would think that I would have plenty of peace and quiet. I wish. Whoever said retirement could be boring didn’t know what they were talking about. Every day I make a list of things to do – but it is not necessary to do everything. That being said, I now have the afternoons to pursue peace and quiet. Just shut the door to your room, hang out a do not disturb sign, and take the phone off the hook. Music is a good way to relax you. Finally, you can enjoy the peace and quiet. You can use this time to revitalize yourself.

All I am saying, peace and quiet is needed to survive the hustle and bustle of your life. Absolutely! Everyone needs peace and quiet. It is necessary for us to get our thoughts in order and to renew the energy we need to cope with whatever is going on.

I have realized that I am perfectly happy being alone. You can let your creative side of your brain take over. Your imagination comes into play and you feel happy. At least I do. I love it when it is quiet in my house. You can hear the grandfather clock chiming the hour. It is reminding me that time never stops.

In pursuit of peace and quiet, I have learned that the best peace comes from Jesus. John 14:27 says:  “Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you”. It is a peace that quiets your heart and calms your soul.  Jesus is the only source of genuine peace.