I love sleeping with the window open most of the year. In the summer I let the a/c do the work, but the rest of the year… nothing like some fresh air.
Our house is on the top of a hill in our subdivision. We look out our back on to a common ground with houses surrounding it and a little creek at the bottom of a hill.
When the house was first built we had farms surrounding us. We could hear the cows mooing and horses neighing. Roosters would wake us up early in the morning.
We could also hear the train so clearly in the distance. I love hearing the train whistle. Something so romantic about a train whistle.
Nowadays with the growth of our area and subdivisions taking over all the farms we have a lot of houses and a lot of movement and a lot of noise. Children playing. Lawns being mowed. Highways and hospitals. Cars up and down the streets.
Thankfully, I can still hear the train on clear nights – along with the whistle. At night, I can also hear the traffic on the highway. Each big rig rumbles as it speeds by. Almost like white noise to me as I fall asleep.
As we manage the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, finding opportunities to quietly be with ourselves may help us tend to the details of what we value most.
Jenny Oh
I rarely get up to go to the bathroom once I go to bed. Sorry TMI, I know. But bear with me.
When I was getting back in bed I looked out my bedroom window and suddenly realized how quiet it was. It was so still. No noise at all. Completely silent.
No traffic. No train. Nothing.
The silence was deafening.
It was eery. Unnerving.
Sometimes, simply by sitting, the soul collects wisdom.
Zen proverb
I stood there at the window for a long moment. Waiting to hear something. Anything. A dog bark, perhaps?
Nope. No sirens. No planes. Not even a dog.
Perhaps it was time to get out the white noise app on my phone!
But then I took a deep breath. Became present again. Counted my blessings. Was grateful for being safe and happy and healthy.
And, grateful for Netflix and Spotify and InstaCart and my daughter and my parents and my dog.
So, I gave in to the quiet. And, I meditated.
I prayed for those isolated alone. I prayed for those on the front line. I prayed for those who know much more about the tsunami that is on its way to us and yet are ready and willing to go and fight and keep us healthy.
The quieter you become the more you are able to hear.
Rumi
Us humans, we are not accustomed to being silenced. To sitting still. We are social animals, after all!
Week two in social distancing and self-isolation is getting tough for a lot of people. We understand why it is necessary, yet we are getting stir crazy. We get bored easily. Even the most introverted person needs human connection.
But what if in this silence we can all begin to find our humanity again.
My daughter first mentioned to me that this may well be a reset button for the world. Having to stay in and regroup, realign, relearn, reconnect, and realize how much we do have.
This is an awakening of global proportions! We are all being asked – the World is being asked – to stop and be still in order for us all to heal. In order to save each other. To realize how much we are connected and how much more connection is needed.
Let me sit here, on the threshold of two worlds. Lost in the eloquence of silence.
Rumi
There is an opportunity in the devastation. An opportunity to hit the reset button on earth. Our lives.
Be still. Be grateful. Be in the moment.
We are in the beginning stages of the biggest collective awakening ever seen in the history of mankind.
John Walsh
If we all can sit in silence, even for a moment, and send our collective energy on to the collective vulnerability we are experiencing – can you imagine?! What a world we can begin to build from here.
Ok… call me crazy. I know. But we are never going to be the same after this. So, why can’t we imagine something better?
A seed grows with no sound but a tree falls with huge noise. Destruction has noise, but creation is quiet. This is the power of silence…grow silently.
Anonymous
When we can begin to gather once again, can we remember how much we missed and cared about each other when we were not together? May we build a collective of caring and loving people. May we be more patient with each other and understand the vulnerable. May we be more accepting of our differences and see how they make us stronger as a collective. May we see how fortunate we are and appreciate what we have.
Silence may not be welcomed and can be very inconvenient. Silence can be deadly and boring and annoying and frustrating and overwhelming and overpowering. But sometimes… just sometimes, silence is the best answer.
May you all find peace and solace in these times of COVID-19. May your silence be filled with reawakening and love. I send you all so much love and positive energy to fill your days with gratitude and sunshine.
Paciencia y fe, my friends. Patience and faith.
Wash your hands. Wash your spirit. And, please, watch over each other with love. And, perhaps sleep with your window open so you too can hear the silence.
Carmen is a single mom who acts, sings, drinks coffee and writes stuff as she authentically navigates life. Sometimes it’s interesting, sometimes not so much. You can decide. But if something moves you, drop a line, share it far and wide, and let me know what you think!
