Children Quote by Kyo Maclear
““But it is not glorious lulls that concern me. It is the lulls that have no velocity, that offer no structured reassurance, that bloom unbidden in the middle of nowhere—when the work is done, when children leave, when illness comes, when the mind stalls. One does not ask of a lull: What can you do for me? These lulls do not have the quality of idyllic floatiness we associate with creative loafing, vacations, or leisure time. (If they did, we might fight them less readily and feel less personal distress.) These lulls carry a restive feeling, the throb of being simultaneously too full and too empty. They evoke what Jean Cocteau once described as “the discomfort of infinity.” What if we could imagine a lull as neither fatal nor glorious? What if a lull was just a lull?””
About This Quote
The passage describes unsettling, directionless pauses in life that lack comforting structure, feeling both overwhelming and empty, akin to an infinite discomfort.
In simple terms: Unsettling pauses lacking comfort
Key Takeaway
Lulls can be neither fatal nor glorious
Themes
existential anxiety
creative stagnation
psychological restlessness
perception of time
comfort vs. discomfort
Mood
reflective
melancholic
introspective
Type
philosophical
literary
psychological
When to use this quote
- after completing a project
- when children leave home
- during illness
- when mental stagnation occurs
Key Concepts
lull as psychological state
infinity discomfort
structured reassurance
creative process
Practical Applications
- reframing unproductive periods
- mindfulness practice for idle moments
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we recognize a lull without assigning value?
- What practices transform a lull into a neutral space?
