The Quiet After the Storm

I spent this morning trying to fix a leaky faucet in the kitchen. It was one of those small, nagging tasks that I had been putting off for weeks, and I was convinced it would take me all of ten minutes. Of course, it took two hours, a trip to the hardware store, and a fair amount of frustration. When I finally tightened the last bolt and the dripping stopped, I didn’t rush to the next chore. I just stood there, listening to the sudden, heavy silence of the room. It felt strange to have the noise replaced by such stillness. We spend so much of our lives bracing for the next conflict or the next mess to clean up that we rarely know what to do when things are finally, unexpectedly, calm. There is a specific kind of grace in the pause that follows a struggle. It is the moment where you realize you are still standing, and for a brief second, the world is exactly as it should be. Do you ever find yourself holding your breath, waiting for the peace to break?

Claudio Bacinello has captured this feeling perfectly in his image titled Lilac Breasted Roller. It shows a moment of stillness after a great effort, and I find it deeply grounding. Does this image bring a sense of calm to your day as well?