Noble Silence

(My thoughts after spending 24 hours in noble silence. No speaking, electronics of any kind, books, music, etc.)

Silence.

How could something that which is nothing be so intimidating? 

I was scared. I was excited. I wasn’t sure if I was ready. I watched the clock. 

The hour appeared.

And then…

 there was…

space. 

Space around communication.

Space around my “to-do” list. 

Space for me to breathe. 

What did I do with myself? I did whatever I wanted… slowly, methodically and with purpose. 

I could hear my own thoughts clearly. I could focus on them without distractions. (Side note: I’m hilarious and bloody brilliant!)

Interactions were not greeted with anticipation of what to say or my normal, automatic banter. They were met with a smile. A smile requires no thought nor encounters judgement. It simply sent the light from my soul to meet with another. 

On my walk, the colors of the leaves were brighter, the sky bluer, the breeze a lovely soft touch. 

Answers I had been doggedly seeking now flowed to me easy like Sunday morning. 

I napped. I wasn’t sick, nor had I just had surgery. I napped because I could. It felt glorious. 

I took a bath. A bath without a book or music. A bath where my muscles relaxed and my thoughts shifted to the rhythm of the water rippling. 

Anything that intruded on my space felt jarring. The loud call of a bird. The bark of a neighbor’s dog. The turn signal on my car. All too loud. All not appreciated.  

I watched the clock again. This time dreading what the appointed hour would bring. The countless messages. The dreaded “to-do” list. The hustle. The noise. 

No more space. No more silence. 

The time arrived. I emerged from my solitude gracefully, if not a bit reluctantly. 

Silence is now an intimate friend. I anxiously anticipate our reunion. 

–V