Tea in "Deep" Silence

This Sunday morning, we, my beloved and I, were unusually quiet, sitting sipping our tea in bed. We listened to the radio for a while and I became conscious of the silence. I realised that I was quiet and didn’t feel much like talking, he was, in reality, his normal self, just not responding to me chatting away, that sounds cruel but I don’t mean to be, he’s a very self contained man.

Feeling responsible for generating some interesting Sunday morning debate I asked him. “Tell me your deepest thoughts, this morning, my darling.”

He pursed his lips rubbed his face and said, ”guttering” I was about to remonstrate with him for his lack of depth my face morphing into a raised eyebrow, pinched nostril, tight lipped mask of distaste. Totally indifferent he continued without pause, to tell me about his concerns for the plan the builders have suggested for the guttering. He went on to describe the current schematic and how the new one may cause overflow problems and the wind had something to do with the problem as well.  His main concern lay in problems which might appear in months or even years to come and he had to sort it out, so we didn’t have any damp issues in the future.

He was thinking out loud really and not talking to me. I wished I hadn’t asked! Then I thought some more, here he was “relaxing” on a Sunday morning and his concerns were very deep, very deep indeed. I have the attention span of a nat and there are loads of important matters, he attends to, like Insurance, maintenance and of course guttering which are fundamental to our security and well being. This makes me sound really flaky but I do contribute in other ways, I can’t think how right now but I am sure there are. Oh I just thought of one, yesterday, the very same Sunday, we had little or no supplies in and I didn’t want to go shopping. He said no worries lets just have beans and sausage. I said leave it with me, I rustled up a lovely sausage casserole, with red wine, home grown tomatoes, onions and peppers, on rice. It was yummy.

I am so glad he is deep silent type, he is rather wonderful in a quiet sensible sort of way and where would a flaky, butterfly be without her rock anyway, no where to perch to take in the view and soak up the sun. So the next time I want to have a deep conversation I better have my snorkel and flippers ready, or just sit quietly and enjoy the silence!

Enjoy Nightswimming by REM which interestingly combines silence and swimming(not necessarily with snorkel and flippers) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahJ6Kh8klM4

 Alison x