Last week, I briefly met a physio who had recently engaged in a meditation practice which involved immersing oneself in silence for 10 straight days. Although I wanted to find out more about his speechless venture, I did not get a chance to clarify. However, I’ve since been thinking about the concept of silence.Silence can mean so many different things in so many different situations:
For a young mother of a teething toddler, silence is welcomed respite.
For a teacher, after the first day of elementary school, silence is joy.
For a teenager, born in the late nineties, silence is boring.
For a quarrelling couple, silence is the epitome of frustration or power.
For a friend, waiting for a reply, silence is heartbreaking.
For a musician, silence is poverty.
For a scared child in the middle of the night, silence is horrifying.
For the mother of a six year old who catches her son with his hand in the cookie jar, silence is guilt.
For an extrovert, silence is uncomfortable.
For an introvert, silence is rejuvenating.
For me, silence is now necessary....
Shhh.....
The other day, I was weaving my way around the bends on the Malahat, carefully maneuvering the vehicle so that I would stay in my thin lane, as a steady stream of oncoming traffic whistled by me. In the back seat, my 6 year old niece said, "Auntie, it looks like you are going over the lines from where I am seated". Because she ended with, "From where I am seated", I knew that she had entered into the beginning stages of understanding "perspective". Soooo, I used that moment to springboard into a conversation about perspectives, and how our understanding of something or the way in which we view something differs based on our realities.
ReplyDeleteThis lovely blog post about silence, is a great lesson in perspective!
Mel, as you go deeper into those cerebral layers, you are mining out some real gems for us to read and ponder!
Keep up the excellent writing!
Blog ideas likely have something to do with the commute!! Thanks for sharing that story...
ReplyDeleteSometimes when I concentrate at the computer and then wonder why I feel drained, I discover it's because the music stopped. I get such energy from some music.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful for the ability to hear. However sometimes, though I might fear the silence, I know there are precious things to be found there.