I’m up early.
Like really early.
Earlier than everyone else in the house, by at least an hour and a half, often two - and at the weekends it can be up to three or four.
That’s virtually half a day!
I tiptoe through the house, along the corridor, and down the creaking stairs.
The harder I try to be quiet the noisier I seem to be.
Somebody left a bin outside my daughter's room, I tripped over that and sent it ricocheting down the hallway.
There was an unexpected paper bag left unnecessarily at the top of the stairs, I stood on that and couldn’t get it out from under my feet.
It sounded like a hundred crisp packets being rustled at the same time.
Once I actually made it downstairs I had to let the dog out of her room, otherwise she would bark knowing I was downstairs, but when I let her out she spotted a squirrel in the garden and barked frantically nevertheless.
I panicked and let her outside, hoping to lessen the noise inside the actual house, but she chased the squirrel around the garden and barked incessantly right underneath everybody’s bedroom windows.
I tried to get her back inside, but the dog has selective hearing.
In the kitchen, I opened the cupboard to get a teabag and a random spoon fell out and crashed onto the kitchen work surface and then onto the floor.
It would have been quieter if I had banged a large gong three times.
I knew the look my wife would give me when she eventually emerged from the bedroom.
It wasn’t going to be a good one.
Silence may indeed be golden, but it isn’t always easy to achieve.
When does more effort produce lesser results for you?
Here are a few things I felt were worth sharing this week:
How having a personal grab bag of ideas can preserve your thoughts and save you from distraction.
A magical collection of rich and beautiful spiritual videos to uplift your soul.
46 books that changed the world.
An oldie but goldie from Austin Kleon on daily blogging.
Brent Brown’s amazing piece on the ‘mid-life unraveling’.
Classic but often forgotten tracks from 1978 that I revisited this week.
Thanks for reading!
My new book, B7965 - A boy called Szmulek: A man named Sam, is out NOW! It’s a powerful memoir of my unexpected year-long journey with a Holocaust survivor. I’m super proud of it and very passionate about sharing Sam’s incredible story and getting it out into the world. I truly believe this is a very important story and one that the world needs to hear more than ever right now.
Also, if you like great music, please check out my radio station, The Buzz Mcr. We don’t do ad-breaks, news, weather, and travel. The music never stops. We have a thing called our Three Song Trust Policy, it’s like the old Pepsi challenge only with music. Try us, I think you’ll like us.
With love
Rik
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