Living Into The Silence

I’m a talker. Always have been, and I suspect I always will be. This is a trait of mine that some folks love, and others hate. No matter how others feel about it, however, talking is how I make sense of the world around me. Talking – out loud – allows me to understand things better. I guess you might say that I am a “verbal processor”. 

Lately, however, I’ve noticed that I’ve started to be quite quiet. I think this started shortly after my Dad passed away, just over two years ago. It’s not that I don’t talk anymore; it’s that I talk less.

In all sorts of scenarios, I find myself holding back, feeling the desire to speak, but consciously choosing to stay silent. It’s as though the silence is a protective cloak of some sort. I can’t quite discern how or when the silence takes over; I just know that sometimes it does. And, what I’m learning, is that silence serves. Or at least, it can.

When I live into the silence, I notice things.

When I live into the silence, I hear what can’t be heard when I’m talking.

When I live into the silence, I feel how my body is doing.

When I live into the silence, I become aware of the energy around me.

When I live into the silence, it’s as though all of my other senses become heightened.

When I live into the silence, I’m able to restore my sense of self.

When I live into the silence, I actually slow down.

As I become aware of all of these truths and opportunities of silence, I’m noticing that I’m curious about how to bring MORE silence into my world. And my world isn’t exactly loud to begin with. I’m just realizing that conscious silence – the creation of space, as it were – opens things up. 

Years ago, I used to subscribe to what I called “the 24-hour” rule. When something arose that bothered me, when something was asked of me, when I felt the need to respond to something, I would give myself 24 hours. 24 hours to let things settle, to allow my thoughts to distill, to allow my energy to shift in some way (if at all). I’m realizing now that this was a way of living into a form of silence, and that doing so, always served me well.

So, as we enter this new week, I want to invite you to live into the silence. Whatever you’re facing, whatever you’re immersed in, whatever is going on for you, find ways to create space and silence. Let yourself feel into it and notice what shifts. Notice what becomes possible. Give yourself the gift of silence. I assert that you will be replenished as a result.