Last week I decided to head to a special spot in the mountains to reflect on this last year after releasing my first novel, Nora Roberts Land.
It was the first time I had been off email and social media in over fourteen months, and I fretted about that even though scheduled Facebook posts work just fine as an out-of-the-office email message.
No phone. No TV. No music.
Just stillness.
There’s an itchy feeling at first, going into that much silence, that much stillness, until you realize nature is never still, never silent. It has rhythms all its own. You begin to hear new sounds, ones your ears have been deafened to by all the busyness and chatter of everyday life: the way the leaves rustle with the wind, fire crackles and dances in the fire pit, and rain thunders on the earth as the skies open.
Life doesn’t stop. But it does slow down when we give it permission.
Happiness is stillness.
From my screened porch, it was like I was nestled in a tree house on top of the mountain. The first day an entire rainbow stretched across the sky, a powerful sign if ever there was one.
I rested. I reflected. I read. I just sat and listened.
Sometimes I have to push myself to counter my own hard work ethic. Taking off for four days and doing nothing? Especially when I have a million things to do? Well, it’s amazing what can happen. I hadn’t planned to think about anything book-related, but my next three novels simply unfolded like maps rolled out before you begin an adventure. This happened without any prompting, and the characters talked non-stop in my head. My suggestion for anyone who has writer’s block: stop trying and get away. The story will come to you in the stillness.
When you open yourself to stillness, you are receptive to recognizing inspiration and hearing what you need to hear.
We all seem to be drawn to leading busy lives, running from moment to moment, rarely being still.
And yet in the stillness, I have found my greatest happiness. I just allowed myself to be, and that was more than enough.
Spend some time in a special place. You might be surprised by what you discover.