Quiet, Please
Find a quiet spot to sit for a moment. Quiet please. Could I get a moment of silence?
Quiet PLEASE.
QUIET please.
No matter how I say it or where I put the emphasis, quiet in my mind and in my life has become a welcome respite and a necessary practice.
For years, I gave myself ten minutes of quiet on both ends of my commute to work. The morning quiet helped me slow down and gather myself before heading into what were often busy days, sometimes at a frenetic pace (at least in my head). The afternoon quiet helped me debrief the work day, breathe cleansing breaths more deeply, and arrive home to myself before I arrived home to my family.
This practice was really the first one that showed me the obvious benefits of quiet, after decades of a racing mind and unrealistic expectations much of the time. And when I say I gave myself that time, I first had to force myself to take that time, to keep the radio off and the thoughts on low volume. Over time, I came to appreciate that silence and then to even crave it.
Also for years, as a runner, I liked having music with me as I ran. I didn’t always need it, but I more often used it. It was good motivation for movement and also often provided inspiration for the writer within. Several year ago I started noticing a shift. The music became more of a hindrance, creating clamor instead of calm. I started running without music, and I have never gone back. I love the quiet, the sound of my footfalls and breathing, the fuller experience of Nature. I love the quieter mind and the different kind of writing ideas and flow that tend to come through.
This second practice has cemented for me the need for quiet in my day. I have now added meditation time to my daily practice. Even when it is guided and someone else’s voice is streaming in my ears, it still quiets my mind.
A quiet mind is a beautiful thing and that can still surprise me. I sometimes wonder what pains and challenges I may have avoided if I had found the quiet earlier, but that pain made me ready to try new things. Quiet has been such a good teacher.
When my mind is quieter, what I say and do is more kind, more loving, more creative. “Silence is golden” is anything but a trite statement. It is truth, quietly delivered. Quiet, please.
