I Like the Quiet
I like the quiet. A lot.
The quiet can be downright intoxicating or whatever the opposite of intoxicating is. When I’ve gotten really quiet, as quiet and still as I have ever been, on silent meditation retreats, I have sunk deep into love with the silence and it has perhaps been my very best teacher.
For some 8 years and counting as I write this, the phrase, “Practice Silence” has been one of our IO mantras and one that has held me so well through these last years of personal discovery and nudged me to try to find out who the heck I really am.
My quiet time has taught me about having mercy for myself, and others, and about patience, of which I am not naturally endowed. Ha! Boy, has that one challenged me. And the silence has taught me to hear better what is really going on for me and what’s going on around me in my worldly experience. It’s taught me slowness. And pause.
I have such gratitude for the quiet moments, for silence, an unshakable awe and respect. Oh how beautiful it is. Subtle. Echoing. Poignant, if you open up to really listen to the quiet and go deep.
Try some silence,
Amy
08 Jun 2010
Joslyn Hamilton
This post reminds me of “the quiet game” that my parents used to play with us when we were in the car, the point of which was to see who could stay quiet the longest. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I understand their real motivation for sponsoring this game – not to entertain us but to establish some peace & quiet for all!