As in: the verb.

I think my fifteen minutes of sitting yesterday (which I set aside for myself this morning as well) got me thinking about how pleasant it is to be in the quiet of the house in the morning, before anyone else has risen. I’ve noticed it before, in glances, but deliberate sitting helped bring that quiet more into focus. So I started to think about when and where else I might be able to turn down the volume on my day.

I have an average work commute–average for my metro area, that is, though certainly long by many standards. Normally, I have the radio on, listening to Morning Edition on the way in, and All Things Considered on the way home. If not, it’s Pandora, or a shuffle of my music library on my phone.

The car seemed like a natural choice for a controlled environment in which I could choose to quiet my day, if only for a few moments.

I don’t think I can commit to every morning and every afternoon without music or the news in the car (or conversation for that matter–I’m the morning driver for a carload of eighth graders). But certainly I can silence the music and chatter and reports of  the day for fifteen minutes, right?

So this morning, that’s the plan. Fifteen minutes. If it goes well, maybe I’ll make it to twenty.

And then maybe I can start to listen.