Now that is an oxymoron! Simon & Garfunkel aside, I want to talk about the beauty of silence. The other day I was reading a book on our small couch that backs up to the french doors leading to our deck. In other words, my back was to the outside, allowing for the light to illuminate the pages of my book. Because it is an otherwise dark room, this small couch is my favorite place to read.
I stopped focusing on the words that day because I saw the shadow of leaves from the tree behind me, dancing across the pages of my book. This took my complete attention as I stared for minutes, forgetting about the printed words. It was hypnotizing. Soon I became aware of the silence in the room. The combination of the dancing leaf shadows and the silence made me positively euphoric. Such a simple thing and yet to me it was quite powerful.
Silence is underrated. For years I couldn’t abide it. I had to have background noise of some kind, any kind. Silence was unnerving to me. It gave free rein to the noise in my head which apparently I didn’t want to deal with. Now I can “listen” to the silence for hours at a time. I can’t do it for an entire day, at least I don’t think so. But my ability to listen to nothing has increased exponentially with my age.
What is so great about silence? In the silence you hear things you can’t hear with the television or the radio on. You hear birds, for one thing. Around my house you can hear hawks flying over with their unmistakable plaintive cries. My favorite sound is the wind blowing through the very tall trees that surround our property. But maybe you live in the City. What does silence mean to those who have trouble finding it? An opportunity to listen to the sounds of life. To tone down the noise in your head. Be still. Listen to the wisdom of your soul. Maybe something deep inside will speak to you. How can it be heard over the din of traffic, television or chatter? The truth is it can’t be heard and even if it could, more than likely you would tune it out.
Meditation affords us the ability to be still and sit in the silence. But not everyone meditates. Many think it impossible to clear your mind in order to listen. It is challenging but obviously achievable.
My suggestion, if you are not a friend of silence, is to give it a try. Allow yourself ten or fifteen minutes in the beginning and then slowly increase the time. It will change you. It will open your heart as well as your mind to new possibilities. It will ultimately teach you more about yourself.
Go beyond the dancing shadow leaves on a page. See where the silence will take you. Listen, appreciate and delight in, the sound of silence.