At a special beachside gathering I was invited to recently, the Rabbi asked us to spend a moment in silence or silent prayer.  He spoke briefly about the value of silence.  He said, “silence is rare, and even as we stood at this beach in silence, we would still hear the cry of birds as they circled overhead, the waves crashing on the shore, and the teens playing football in the distance.”  It made me think about the value of silence and wonder how often we experience it anymore.

The gift of presence 

To know ourselves better, we need to be able to hear our own thoughts.  When we are busy all the time, rushing from one thing to the next, we do not have the time to be present, to just be where we are.  We are then bystanders to our life instead of conscious participants.  A friend of mine left this week on a trip of a lifetime to feature her new documentary film in a foreign country.  Before sending her off, I reminded her to slow down and be present wherever she is.  I reminded her to be fully present in each place she visits, to look each person she will meet in the eye, and to feel what it feels like to have each new experience unfold along the way.  Oh the unbridled joy of living life this way…to actually be where we are.

Silence like I’ve never heard

Several years ago visiting my husband’s family in Southern Utah, we visited a glorious remote hiking region.  I noticed certain things along our trail that I reflect on often.  I recall a certain type of bird, a white-throated swift, that flew low overhead, like the sound of a loud hummingbird whooshing by.  As we got about a mile down the trail, and the kids went off with my husband to climb some rocks, I noticed something…I had never heard a silence like that before.  It was the most remarkable sound.  I had never been deep in the mountains to relish the crystal clear sound of nothing.  In between months that we visit, I find myself yearning for that silence deep within the mountains.  Sometimes we need to go places to find that type of silence.  It’s worth the drive.

The space of reflection

The clarity to think is where creativity is born.  Without the silence in-between, it can be difficult to create.  The shower is a place of silence for me.   Some of my best ideas come in the shower.  I am fascinated by the fact that when warm water runs over me, and I am just present with my body, clarity strikes me.  Funny enough, it’s not when I am sitting at my computer staring at a blank page, it’s when I am driving by myself or awoken from an auspicious dream in the middle of the night when inspiration strikes.  I believe it’s when our minds become a blank slate or tabula rasa, as they call it in Sociology, that new ideas and concepts come in most easily.  When do you experience profound clarity and creativity?

Carving out the space

Silence is a space to be nurtured.  Hopefully, we receive nurturing in many places.  Gentleness and nurturing are imperative traits for us to foster and experience in life in order to live in the kind of world we yearn for.  Some of the most nurturing things I experience are:  my beloved, my children, my chosen family, nature, incense, reading a supportive passage, affirmations, roses, gemstones, and tea prepared by a dear friend.  How do you nurture silence?

The distractions of life are everywhere all the time.  We can be tuned in and turned on to something electronically every waking hour of the day.  Our society is busy and getting busier.  People will talk our ear off as long as we allow them.  We have a home full of happy teenagers.  There is not a lot of silence until the middle of the night. Unless we put aside the time we need for silence, it is only the wee hours of the night when we are asleep that we’re enveloped in peace.  This is simply not enough for our well being.  After significant contemplation I agree with the Rabbi, silence is rare and it must be chosen.  I am hoping with this reminder and the sharing of ideas, we can help silence make a comeback.  Who is with me?