GFTS-Ch. III Moon Shell

I am writing this while sitting underneath our big,cheerful beach umbrella on the little-bitty deck my hubby built so I can dip my feet into our cool,sparkling pool water. I suffer from Plantar fasciitis in both of my feet. I've dealt with it off and on for years now. Its been awhile since my last flair up of it but this time it seems to have come back rather viciously. Putting my sore feet into the cold pool, especially first thing in the morning, is a refreshing treat. I wish I could be dangling them in the ocean while reading and writing about Gift From The Sea but since I can not, I am grateful for my own little,domestic body of water!

I missed posting about chapter II so now I'll just dive right into chapter III, Moon Shell and my thoughts about it.

Pg. 42
"It is a difficult lesson to learn today-to leave one's friends and family and deliberately practice the art of solitude for an hour or a day or a week. For me, the break is the most difficult."

It is not hard from me to have an hour or a morning or an afternoon of (more or less) solitude here at home. I am alone now, out in the backyard with little interruption. My sons are teens and generally busy with their own projects so they respect my solitude. My husband, for whatever reason-God bless him, tends to be a little more disruptive of my peace. He is one of those dear folks for whom the idea of being alone, if only for an afternoon, fills him with panic rather than bliss. I've also been able to train my boys, basically since birth, to understand Mommy's need for her alone time. My hubby was already 20 when I met him and its harder to teach an older dog new tricks! LOL!

While being home, "alone" is almost standard for me, I seem to have a hard time with being alone when my family is gone. The last time my hubby and boys were gone for an evening, the quiet in the house reduced me to tears. My boys are almost full-grown and while it is not near, the time of them living our house for good is inevitable. I think of what those years and years and years of an empty,quiet house,devoid of my children is going to be like. I'll miss them. I'll adjust, I'm sure, but I'll miss them, none the less.

Pg. 53
"The church,too, has always been a great centering force for women. Through what ages women have had that quiet hour..."

Ok, this was written, what?, over 50 years ago? Perhaps churches were quieter back then or at least the ones that Anne attended. The ones we've gone were about the farthest thing from peaceful,quiet, meditative experiences that you could think of. One even had a mechanical bull out in the parking lot during one service (long story).

This chapter was just rich with sentences, thoughts and ideas that reverberated within me. Far too many to expound upon here, in one sitting. Solitude is very,very,very important to me. If the world didn't understand a persons need for solitude when the book was written 50 years ago, how much less is it understood or even tolerated now in the 21st century. I have worked hard over the past 20 years of homemaking and child-rearing to preserve my own personal solitude and,for the most part, I have succeeded. I also think I have done a good job of raising 3 young men who understand, respect,cherish both their own need for solitude as well as mine and others.