Sunday Morning’s Quiet Fog - Missoula, Montana

drive through fogged in streets - 
wintry brisk, this quiet town -
to grandness unveiled  

Space For Legit Joy - Rattlesnake Creek via Greenough Park, Missoula, Montana

In these very odd times of space and quiet,
  may you seek and find genuine joy.
Toward that end, a few thoughts:
 
"That we are designed for joy is exhilarating, within reach, now or perhaps later today, after a nap, as long as we do not mistake excitement for joy.

Joy is good cheer. My partner says joy and curiousity are the same thing. 
Joy is always a surprise, & often a decision.

Joy is portable. Joy is a habit, and these days,
    it can be a radical act.”

-Anne Lamott, p.70 of Almost Everything

Still Life - Frozen Finley Point Sunset, Flathead Lake, Polson, Montana

"...There had been no stillness in himself either, with Hamish rampant in his mind. He was never truly alone.

But here it was palpable - the quiet -
He stood there, looking up at the empty blue sky, his head tilted back, his arms out from his sides, his fists unwittingly clenched. And drank in the stillness....

Stillness.
It seemed to spread through him, it seemed to wrap him about, it seemed to fill him full."

- From Legacy of the Dead,  An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd, page 40

Fleeting Still - Missoula, Montana

“It's a moment that I'm after, a fleeting moment, but not a frozen moment.”

-Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009)

Greening Quietness - At Kookoosint Fishing Access, Near Plains, Montana

"...Drop thy still dews of quietness,
  Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
  Thy beauty of Thy peace...."

 -From "The Brewing of Soma" by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-92) and also adapted to hymn "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"

 (And you can click HERE for a bit more on Kookoosint Fishing Access in Sanders County, MT.)

Winter Quiet Things 2 - Missoula, Montana

"God's voice is still and quiet and easily buried under an avalanche of clamour."

 - Charles Stanley

Wintry Quiet Things 1 - Missoula, Montana

"...We are quiet now

The deeds we’ve rendered to this day

Are like small seeds in the ground

Eventually they’ll have their say..."

- from Quiet by Janet Martin

Stop by Another Porch...A Poetry Blog for more lovely verse - perfect with your daily cuppa!

Quiet - Missoula, Montana

"We must believe that there are places where tranquility exists and nature is given back her power to speak..."

- Nanette L. Avery

Quiet, Missoula, Montana

A co-worker who is mid-stream in a confidence awakening recently recommended a fabulous book, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain.It reads easily in short bites or long immersions - which are always preferable when a hammock is nearby - and is a fascinating compilation that pulls in data from wide-ranging arenas - from the latest
functioning-MRI brain research to shared personal experience and everything in between. Whether the sub-title intrigues or you just could use a bit of “so it’s not just me” affirmation on your own authentication journey, it’s worth a look-see. You can preview it
here, and read more about the author at her site, www.ThePowerofIntroverts.