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Programme I. Text One.

Topic: A Quiet Life

Felix Catt is a typical resident of Siberia Avenue, Surbiton. He looks gloomy, but
in fact he is quite happy, and he leads a quiet life in this suburb of London. His wife
Girtie looks after him carefully; she cleans the house regularly, and feeds him daily on
well cooked meat and tinned vegetables. There is always a supply of fresh water for his
whisky, and plenty of carpet space for putting practice, so he is very comfortable and
content with suburban life.
Felix is very fond of his old dog, Sam. They go for walks together on Sundays.
Today he is taking Sam to the local vet, because he is afraid that he is going blind.
However, the vet is confident of curing him by means of a small operation. He is giving
Sam an injection before operating on him, so that he will sleep peacefully the whole
time and not feel any pain. There is even a pretty nurse standing by to comfort Sam in
case he feels unhappy and lonely in the strange surroundings.
In general, both Felix and Sam think that they dont have a bad life, and they
have no desire to change it for anything more adventurous.

A Quiet Life
Our writer knows what she wants: a quiet life, a life that listens: to other people, to
my place, to silence.
In Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Marie Rilke writes, People have even made eating
into something else: necessity on the one hand, excess on the other; have muddied the
clarity of this need, and all the deep, simple needs in which life renews itself have
become just as muddy. But the individual can make them clear for himself and live them
clearly (not the individual who is dependent, but the solitary man).
What I want is a quiet life.
I mean a life that listens: to other people, to my place, to silence. I want to notice even
the smallest things, to stay immediate to my surroundings. But daily distraction can be
so fragmenting, so addictive, and the kind of attentive patience I seek requires clarity of
mind. To find this clearheadedness, I must make a commitment to do soI have to say
no to the constant, frenzied consumption of needs (more often wants and excesses),
and I have to make room for the quiet, contented yes I actually desire.
I feel most acutely present when I am away from the noise, when my circumstances
pare down all unnecessary clutter. I have experienced this fully in short parentheses in
my pastliving in a convent in a hilltop village, working on a remote island with
scarcely 200 inhabitants, visiting my grandparents in their summer cottage on the river.
These represent the simplest times, when I am completely content with nothing but
words, pen and paper, the outdoors, my feet, my eyes. I return from these respites
feeling soft, malleable, ready to make something good of myself.
But apart from the luxury of true time away, daily life clamors. I am folded into
busyness, worrying about friends, washing the dishes, money, work, wondering what I

will make of my life. Its hard to get ahold of myself in this cycle, unless I actively
venture to reassess, re-move. Even the plainest gesture can renew mejotting a few
words down (somewhere, anywhere), opening a book, taking a walk, doing jumping
jacks, baking, drawing some lines, watching the trees move outside my window. In dire
times I take a drive, always somewhere with unfenced expanses and wildness in which I
can lie. I eat an apple; I hear the birds. I move beyond the minute scope of myself, and I
am refreshed by the marvel of the ospreys nest, the river unceasing, the cows in the
field.
When I am alert enough, these moments of relative aloneness overwhelm me with the
freedom of choice. It is a generous giftto choose the way I want to live, in spite of
circumstance. I believe that I am daily shaping myself through my decisions, and so I
make them earnestly, carefully. But I too easily fall into patterns I believe to be
obligatoryhabits of convenience I depend upon. I am carried away by the impulse to
keep up, though this sentiment inspires only a perpetual state of wanting. Id rather
punctuate my days with actions turning me toward gratefulness, revitalizing my eyes to
see the calm goodness already around me. If I excuse my mind from easy diversion and
turn my attention to noticing whats before mewhether word, wind or moth-wingI
find a simple quiet within me.
I love solitude, but I do not remain there forever. My solitary times fortify me to listen
more clearly and to love better when I am in the presence of others. We are meant to
commune together, which means to empathize, to relate to, to be close with. When I take
the time to perceive the world as it isand myself as I amI have more empathy and
gratitude for those I encounter daily, be they friends or strangers. I spend time alone to
cultivate my own joy and well-being, for the sake of becoming something worthy of
sharing with others.

Living the Quiet Life


When I first started simplifying my life, about 8 years ago, I remember my life being
much busier.
I would say yes to everything, and go to lots of social stuff, and drive everywhere doing
a crazy amount of things, rushing wherever I went. By crazy I mean it can drive you a
bit insane.
These days I know a lot of people who do an amazing amount of socializing online
instead of in person chatting and sending messages and tumbling and posting
pictures and status updates. While I understand the need for social connection, I also
recognize the addictiveness of it all, to the point where we have no quiet.
Quiet space is incredibly important to me these days. I like my quiet mornings where I
can drink a nice tea, meditate, write, as the day grows light and the kids are sleeping. I
like quiet on my runs and long walks, so that I can process my ideas, give my thoughts
some space, reflect on my life.
The quiet space I allow myself has made possible my writing, but also all the
improvements Ive made to my life: healthier eating, the exercise habit, meditation,
decluttering, procrastinating less, etc. Because the quiet space allows me to be more
conscious about my actions, and gives me the time to consider whether what Im doing
is how I want to live my life.
And so, while I still socialize, I live a quieter life now. I have my quiet mornings of
meditation, tea and writing, but also my nice runs, some time drinking tea or working
out with a friend, alone time with my wife, reading with my kids, and some time alone
with a good novel.

Is every minute one of quiet? No, the kids make sure I have some noise in my life, and
Im grateful for that, but the quiet is also in how I respond to the noise. A quiet response
is one that absorbs the force of noise, with compassion, and doesnt throw it back with
equal force.
Today I wish the quiet life upon you.
Some ideas:

Create a little quiet space in the morning.

Meditate for 2 minutes a day (to start with). Just sit and put your attention on
your breath, returning when your thoughts distract you.

When you feel the urge to socialize online, pause. Give yourself a little quiet
instead.

When you feel the automatic urge to say Yes to an invitation, consider saying No
instead, unless its something that will truly enrich your life.

Dont take music on a run or walk. Instead, give yourself space with your
thoughts.

When someone talks to you, instead of jumping in with something about


yourself, just listen. Absorb. Reflect their thoughts back to them. Appreciate
their beauty.

Make time for the people closest to you. One-on-one time is best. Really pay
attention to them.

Make time for creating, with no distractions.

Spend some time decluttering, and creating peaceful space.

Create space between your automatic reaction, and your actions (or words).
Even one second is enough. In that space, consider whether your reaction is
appropriate.

Instead of rushing, take a breath, and slow down.

Pay attention to sensations of whatever youre eating, drinking, doing.

Have a daily time for reflection.

You dont have to do all of these, and certainly not all at once. A slow, happy
progression is best.
In the quiet space that you create, in this world of noise and rushing and distraction, is a
new world of reflection, peacefulness, and beauty. Its a world of your own, and its
worth living in.

Its OK to be HAPPY with A Quiet LIfe

The other day I was wasting a little time on Pinterest, when I stumbled across a quote
that said Its ok to be happy with a calm life. You know when you happen upon a
quote, idea or sentiment that just really resonates with you? Thats what happened with
this. I repinned the image and went on with my day, but instead of forgetting all about it
like I do most things, I kept coming back to the quote and pondering on it. Today I spent
a couple of minutes typing the words up (replacing calm with quiet) and printing it,
so I could tape the message on our fridge as a reminder.
I think this little phrase struck a chord with me because for a long time I didnt think
that it was ok to be happy with a quiet life. I am actually only fairly new to this way of
thinking. I grew up expecting my adult self to become a high-flying editor. In my teen
years I watched a lot of Sex in the City and imagined myself moving to New York and
strutting around in Manolos like Carrie Bradshaw. I wanted an impressive job, an
incredible wardrobe and money. Lots of money. After uni I leapt at the first opportunity
to move to Sydney, so I could start my dream life in the city And then quite
unexpectedly, things changed. I wasnt happy. I slowly began to realise the life I had
always thought that I wanted was in fact, not what I wanted at all. I hated working in an
office. I couldnt stand wearing heels for any prolonged period of time. I found the

hustle and the bustle of the city exhausting. Coming home to our dark little apartment
and getting takeaway after a day at work and a long commute was miserable. And most
surprisingly of all, having more money didnt make me any more happy.
In our society we are constantly bombarded with the message that we should want more.
Advertising tells us life will be better with more. Our families and school teachers (who
only want the best for us) encourage us to work hard to we can acheive more. The
media and popular culture focus on celebrities and people who have more. More means
success. So deciding that actually, wed be happy with a bit less, can require a big
adjustment.
A couple of years on, sometimes I still catch myself slipping into more mentality. I
see people getting impressive jobs and promotions, driving new cars and buying big
houses and I get caught up comparing my humble life to the their successes. But to
compare myself to someone elses version of success makes no sense at all. Though I
am happy for my friends achievements, I dont necessarily want them for myself. I
actually really like my life! I love our shabby old house. I love my little Etsy shop. I
love my Reuben and our fur babies. I love our op-shop dates. I love our trips to the
farmers markets. I love that we are working on this home and making it our own, all
ourselves. Ive also come to realise I value time more than money, and that Reubs and I
dont need a lot of stuff to be happy. I now know that I find life richer, happier and
smoother when we spend plenty of time quietly at home. I understand that Im more
confident in myself when Im not totally focused on material things. Im less anxious
away from the crazy pace of the city. Im healthier when I take the time to cook whole
food from scratch. Im more pleasant to be around when Im not stressed. In the past
Ive had more money, more stuff and more conventional success than I do at the
moment, but I dont think Ive ever been happier than I am right now.
I now know that its ok to be happy with a quiet life. Actually, its ok to be happy with
whatever kind of life makes us happy! We just have to learn to let go of irrelevant
expectations, listen to our hearts and do what feels right for us. Because at the end of the

day there is no one way to be happy or successful. The formula for a good life is
different for each of us.
You makes your life happy?

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