Stop. (Collaborate and) listen. Alright, that was cruel, because I’m pretty sure most of you will have “Ice Ice Baby” stuck in your head the rest of the day. I take full responsibility.
Let me try that again: Stop. Listen.
I’m serious here. I’d like you, after you’ve finished reading this sentence, to stop reading this post, stop doing anything else that you are doing at the same time, close your eyes, and just listen for one minute, wherever you are.
I’m going to be optimistic and assume that you all are playing along right now. You are kind to put up with me.
After writing that sentence, I played along myself in the coffee shop where I’m currently writing. In that short time, I heard about a dozen different things: the hum of the air conditioning system, customers chatting, steaming of milk for a cappuccino, the bathroom door creaking as it opened and clicking as it shut, and a myriad of sounds in the shop’s background music.
When was the last time that you took a break like that to just listen? For me, prior to this past weekend, it had been a long time.
On Saturday, I joined my wife and some friends for a day-long retreat. I find immense value in taking a day every now and again to hit the reset button on life, and structured retreats are a great way to do it. As a part of our day, the agenda called for about 20 minutes of silent reflection. For many, this was the greatest challenge the retreat presented – it turns out that 20 minutes can feel like an eternity when you don’t let yourself talk.
I decided to take my silence outside and soon found a path that meandered past a trickling stream. Step after step, I just listened. I heard the flowing water and the rustling leaves and the chatter of birds. I lost myself in the moment. It was calming and simple. It was exactly what I needed.
Why is silence so hard for us? I really don’t know the answer to that, especially considering the good that can come from it. So rather than answer the question, I’ll just urge you all to allow silence to find you. Go outside and let yourself slip into the rhythms all around. If you’re anything like me, what you will gain is a deeper awareness of all things living, and a sense of belonging with them. And that is what’s so good about it. Silence lets us feel like more of what we fundamentally are – alive.
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