The Power of Silence
I had a tremendously relaxing and invigorating vacation in California recently. How did I know months ago that late August was the perfect time to escape Hurricane Ernesto and flee to the sunny beach in Santa Monica? There was plenty of sun, soothing water and biking/yoga/swimming/surfing for everyone. I met and connected with some very interesting people and saw Pyramid Lake for the first time (if you don't know, it's absolutely beautiful). Yes, I went on vacation by myself and while this might seem strange I find it obscenely liberating. A friend of mine told me she could never do that because she didn't think she'd have any fun. But what I never told her was that part of the fun, aside from visiting friends and making new ones are the moments that I get to spend alone with just me and my thoughts.
Some people find me to be anti-social, but I'm one of those people who has discovered that there is profound power in silence. All day long I have people calling and text messaging and asking and demanding and questioning. And I'd be a liar if I said that I didn't sometimes dream of telling people to shut it up already! Most of the talking that we do is not true communication but just some sort of insane back and forth blathering that seems to sooth our fear of silence. It seems to me that if people truly listened to one another that obsessive communication would not be necessary. When I get quiet and still I find that I can sort out all of things that have happened to me and what I need or want to do about them. I can viscerally "feel" my emotions and decide what I need to work on.
I'm coming to the end of a very challenging period in my life. And as usual (for me) I have to take time to sort out a new game plan and new life goals. I've made the mistake and keep making the mistake of sharing some of my plans with friends before I'm solid about them. Sometimes I can be hard-headed that way. But it struck me while on vacation that I don't need to tell anyone my plans. Most of the time, I'm discouraged from going through with them or told that I need to come to my senses. Maybe I'm even seeking some sort of validation. And none of that's necessary. It's wise to keep silent about our intentions and just put them into motion. There's no need to explain what we want to do in a lot of cases. That all becomes clear through our actions.
Some people find me to be anti-social, but I'm one of those people who has discovered that there is profound power in silence. All day long I have people calling and text messaging and asking and demanding and questioning. And I'd be a liar if I said that I didn't sometimes dream of telling people to shut it up already! Most of the talking that we do is not true communication but just some sort of insane back and forth blathering that seems to sooth our fear of silence. It seems to me that if people truly listened to one another that obsessive communication would not be necessary. When I get quiet and still I find that I can sort out all of things that have happened to me and what I need or want to do about them. I can viscerally "feel" my emotions and decide what I need to work on.
I'm coming to the end of a very challenging period in my life. And as usual (for me) I have to take time to sort out a new game plan and new life goals. I've made the mistake and keep making the mistake of sharing some of my plans with friends before I'm solid about them. Sometimes I can be hard-headed that way. But it struck me while on vacation that I don't need to tell anyone my plans. Most of the time, I'm discouraged from going through with them or told that I need to come to my senses. Maybe I'm even seeking some sort of validation. And none of that's necessary. It's wise to keep silent about our intentions and just put them into motion. There's no need to explain what we want to do in a lot of cases. That all becomes clear through our actions.
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