Peace, Quiet and Joy From a Trash Can

By Holly Giles | Family

mom sitting on a trash can watching grant ride a bike

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Looking for Peace

Have you ever been in search of peace, quiet and joy among all the busyness and noise of your life? After a week of small disasters at home, I was at the tipping point. Sleepless nights and the dishwasher breaking down kept me tired and looking for paper plates.
We have been feverishly printing, cutting and binding my book to prepare for a huge homeschool conference in 2 months. I have had article deadlines, major tenant issues, (I also run a property management company) and the novelty of washing dishes has worn off.
 
Among all of this, I signed up to do a very large craft show next weekend selling our feed sack totes to raise money to keep printing books. Sounds good in theory. However, my house was covered in feed sacks and the tips of all my fingers are sore and bloody from pinning them!

The leak

 So, Friday night after a week of all of this, I went into the schoolroom closet to make room for my sister to hang her clothes. She is coming to set up at the craft show too. I reached up for a tote bag and it was all wet. I began investigating the source.  Unfortunately, it was discovered that our air conditioner had leaked into the ceiling, down the wall, and onto the floor.
 
 For days. 
 
Fortunately, a burlap tablecloth that I spent hours sewing for the convention, caught a lot of it but stained it beyond repair. The wood floor was swelling from water and there was, of course, a bad smell.  Now I have to pull everything out of this closet to clean it. Do you know what a homeschool closet looks like?
 
Come Saturday morning, I was exhausted, and sore. In addition, I was just looking for somewhere to sip my coffee for a few quiet moments before I had to face all of that again.

The wheels

 Next, Grant came bouncing in wanting me to see him fly down the hill on his razor trike. He had procured from someone’s trash the week before. I didn’t want to go. Because I was so tired that walking seemed to be a chore, and it was cold outside. He was so excited that I decided to grab my coffee and my old ratty grey sweater and go out to the driveway and watch him fly.
 
“Just one time,” I told him. He was having so much fun racing down that hill that I wanted to stay a while and watch him.  I was so exhausted that I needed to sit down.  It had been trash pick up that morning so all the cans were still on the road. The recycle bin was turned upside down and looked like the perfect seat.  I pulled it out into the road slightly so I could see downhill.  

grant flying down the hill on his trike

There I sat. On a trash can. Slumped over in my old grey sweater, drinking coffee.  All of a sudden, I realized that I was having a peaceful and quiet moment,  full of joy watching my little boy race down the hill.

 It was perfect.
 
Until my mother drove up. 
 
 “Are you alright? Did you finally crack under all the pressure? I knew you had too much going on! Now here you are sitting in your front yard on a trash can for all the neighbors to see your crazy!”
 
Yep, peace, quiet and joy are over.
 
 Time to go inside before the neighbors start talking.
 
Where do you go to find a little peace, quiet and joy?

mom looking for peace and quiet

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About the Author

Holly Giles is a wife, mother, and storyteller. As an author and Florida Master Naturalist, she writes about heritage homemaking skills, motherhood, and why Florida offers the best hidden natural gems to explore as a family.