Be Quiet

I have written about my camper lately, more specifically, about the benefits that I have gained from being alone in the camper for nearly four years.  My appreciation for the time alone has been learned.  At first, I despised the camper.   Now, while I still miss my family, I look forward to the time alone to think, and plan, and to "take a breath" from the daily buzz that surrounds us all.

One of the things that I have learned is that it is necessary to be quiet to be able to learn and imagine and create.  If you are constantly being entertained with an ipod stuck in your ear, or with the television on, or surfing the web, you can not be at your level best.  You are simply consuming and not creating at that point.  The best way that I know how to learn and absorb new ideas is to read.  Instead of simply getting little snippets of images and "facts" from a tv screen or listening to music that is "contagious" because of a beat or sound, reading allows the reader to stop and apply what the author is saying, all at your own pace. I have enough books on my Kindle right now to read the rest of my life and to learn something new every time.

However, without taking the time to absorb the information, reading is just about as useful as watching TV, surfing the web, or listening incessantly to an ipod.  The key is not just to find time to get away and think, and plan, and read.  The key is to be quiet long enough to absorb the information and put it into practice.