“Tell me what you love, and I will tell you who you are.” –Arsène Houssaye
I was interested in trying something different from an ordinary blog. Rather than little old me randomly opining on the state of the world (it’s a mess), the latest book I read (M Train by Patti Smith –excellent), or celery (aka Satan’s dental floss), I wanted to set up a sort of confession album, a 19th-Century practice in which friends asked each other questions, the most famous one being the Proust Questionnaire. For this confession album, I figured what better way to get to know people than to ask them to talk about something they love. And so, here are the questions, with the hopes of learning more about some interesting people and the things that move and shape them. Today, we have Warren talking about his love of quiet.
What is one thing (object, idea, practice, etc.) that you love?
I love being in the quiet. It helps me shuffle words around.
Moving words around is difficult when I hear a TV or a radio or a conversation taking place. I don’t mind it when the refrigerator hums, though.
But even though I really love quiet, I also really love music. They live in two separate compartments. The moment dictates which compartment is opened.
How did you first come to discover your love of quiet? Do you remember?
It was an early morning in October about 5-6 years ago. Maybe around 5am? The refrigerator was humming. The heat was on.
I was able to gather my thoughts and place them in a ‘living’ document.
Thoughts for me are like cats. You can herd them, but the success rate is very low and full of scarring.
I find if I’m in a quiet room, the thoughts will arrive with minimal risk of physical injury.
Do you feel like anyone mentored you when you first discovered this love or in developing your love? If so, who and under what circumstances?
I can’t say I had a mentor, but I can say I feel encouraged in the quiet. I was also encouraged to rearrange words when I was in the 10th grade. Mrs. Vaughan. A kind and thoughtful teacher. I think this was the first time someone encouraged me to be creative with writing.
Was she there with me 5-6 years ago in October? Maybe.
I think many people are with you when it’s quiet.
What do you love about quiet?
I can think in the quiet. Noise makes thinking harder. Noise is like a wind that makes it tough for thoughts to move in the directions they want to go. But noise can also be helpful. Sometimes when a noise pushes and pulls, I’ll end up in an unexpected and interesting place.And when it’s quiet, I unpack my RDA of noises and separate them into different bins. Some noises I’ll revisit. Some I’ll keep for a rainy day or a Saturday. Some noises go straight into the trash bin. Okay. Many noises go into the trash bin.
How do you express your love for quiet?
I get up early and have coffee. I honor the quiet by keeping noises to a minimum. Noise also includes conversation. My wife honors my quiet with no conversation until after 7. She will, if needed, let me know if the house is on fire.
How do you feel quiet makes your life better?
Quiet brings structure. It is a place built for thinking and shuffling. Normally I don’t have much structure. My atoms tend to float about and leave for vacation without telling me.
If someone were interested in discovering more about quiet, where would you direct them? Where would they start?
The best place to start is to find a place that’s quiet. It may be at home or in a park or at the library. Ambient noise is always around, and to me, ambient normally doesn’t distract. Bring paper and pen or a laptop or a phone or a scribe.
Recall a noise or don’t. Rearrange a few words or don’t. Read a story or don’t. Quiet is flexible. You can do almost anything when it’s quiet.