Silence is such a gift.
In an often noisy world, it’s easy to forget what true silence is. I read an article once about a man who is traveling the world looking for spots in nature untouched by human noise. Places where there is no hum of traffic in the distance, no sound of airplanes flying overhead. These places are fewer and fewer.
I don’t share this to make us sad but rather to offer perhaps a different perspective than the world likes to promote on a whole. Doing, being, “getting out there,” hustling, extra-curricularing (that’s a word right?) are all contributing to the constant sound that buzzes in our head. With the modern mind even practicing meditation is something we “do” something we schedule and plan and then sit deliberately with a particular outcome in mind.
If we are waiting for our coffee in the morning we are usually on our phones doing whatever it is we all do on our phones all day. If we are out enjoying nature we often find ourselves taking photos or chatting with whomever we are with. It’s the silence that we need to embrace.
Standing in line at a coffee shop just looking around. Hearing sounds, seeing sites without the need to do or be is part of what I define as silence. Being present with where you are and just waiting, observing, feeling, seeing and not having to multitask or rush. Standing present in who we are in any given moment is a gift we all should be giving ourselves on a daily basis.
This weekend, I am hoping to embrace the silence. To embrace the waiting, the observing and not feeling any need to distract myself or to fill the space.
Until next time…
-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante