Nothing’s better on earth than a woman and her ability to sense things.
While sitting in the back yard of our Desoto property one evening, my husband leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Listen to that joyful noise!” I could hear nothing so I asked, “What am I supposed to be listening for.” “The beauty of quiet,” he replied. I looked toward the sky and listened. I could hear it.
Savor Silence
Most of us become so accustomed to the noise and sounds around us that until our attention is drawn to the beauty of silence we’re not aware of how noise invades our space. Beyond that we get so use to the absence of silence that we become kind of uncomfortable when faced with it.
Silence eliminate our distractions, and compels us to be alone with ourselves. Have you ever thought it was too noisy to think? Silence has the gift of helping you discover the most profound and meaningful inner pleasures.
Try to remember the last time you had even 30 minutes of complete silence. We live in such a noisy world. We wake up to the noise of an alarm clock, our electrical coffee maker, electrical toothbrushes, hairdryers, morning news, morning traffic reports, children crying, husbands yelling, engines roaring, horns tooting, phones ringing, etc. It’s enough to make you loose your mind. Even our weekends are filled with noises, lawnmowers, leave blowers, children playing and any other noise that you’ve become accustomed to hearing.
Create silence in your own world. Bask in the pleasure of silence. You notice how you’ll eventually come to cherish this innocent pleasure.
Enjoy Listening
We all know that silence is great, and it’s helpful to learn how to tune out the bothersome noises we don’t want. Occasionally we become so use to certain noises that we no longer hear them. Of course, this is good if you live near a noisy factory. In other instances, we could refer to this as selective listening. We tune out what we can’t control and deal with everything else. When we do this we lose our ability to really listen to one another, to our inner voice and to the sweet, soothing sounds all around us.
Stand still, close your eyes and notice the farthest and closest noises you can make out. Can you hear the wind chime on the back porch, the wooden screen door closing, the creaking of the rocking chair, or the popcorn popping in the microwave? Be more aware of your emotional reaction to them. Now you’ll be able to hear the pleasurable noises over the noisy factory. They’ve been there all the time.
You may find the sounds of home comforting – the dog cooing for attention, the grandchildren laughing at one another, your husband flipping the channels on the TV, your son running up and down the stairs, cell phone ringing, the battery operated clock ticking loudly, music playing or the air conditioning blowing. When you need a hug or if you’re feeling a little lonely, tired, frazzled, why not lift your mood and energize your spirit with a few wonderful sounds.
Pamper Your Soul with Silence
Even though good conversation is also stimulating, remaining quiet for short periods of time has proven to be great for positive thinking. Effectively incorporating solitude in your life helps you relish and value life. During your silent times when you don’t speak, answer the telephone, read newspapers, watch television or listen to the radio, you can listen to your inner voice instead.
When you maintain silence for a day or a major part of the day, you’re experiencing the phenomenon of solitude. Some of the best times to solve problems are during silent times. Asking pertinent questions during silent times gives clarity, which in turn gives answers. Women tend to appreciate the input they receive from their surroundings as they draw energy from being silent.
Traditions of silence are ancient, and full of spiritual enlightenment. Silence is known as the holy uselessness,” a cleansing of interfering vision. Even though silence is described as passive, absence of noise – many philosophers consider it active and complex.
Silence is the voice of the soul. When you’re talking or preparing to talk, you are deaf to songs within. A calmer mind is reflected during silence. Creativity flourishes as it provides a chance to grow from thoughts within. Silence can also free negative energies.
Finding a time to experience solitude will help enhance your thoughts, ideas and creativity. Psychiatrist Anthony Storer, M.D., author of Solitude: A Return to the Self, explains how a woman wrote him to tell how she escaped to her bedroom each afternoon, not because she needed sleep, but because she had to be alert to the needs of others without regards to her own. She indulged in silent moments during these times.
Listening to yourself helps you realize how much you really do or don’t know. It helps reduce the expenditure of excessive energy. Initiating silence can bring peak moments of awareness to your life.
Create an Environment of Tranquility
Silence has been smothered in today’s busy and noisy world of information. Reviving the value of silence is now being done at retreats, and religious centers so that the mind can be nourished by tranquility. Silence releases the power to express your self. Women are seeking contemplation in our society, and finding out that they don’t have to leave home to obtain its benefits is great. Creating an environment to succeed with silent commitment is necessary to capture its true benefits. Here are some basic silence guidelines to follow:
1. Have the people with whom you live to actively cooperate. Cooperation is crucial to your growth in silence. Silence can sometimes feel like rejection to your loved ones, so explain why silent times are so important to you. Use these times, as enclosed curtains for yourself instead of a door to shut out loved ones will help you create support that you need from your family.
2. Share your silence. Being quiet together can add new life to your relationship. It’s okay to smile, touch and look into each other’s eyes from time to time with nonverbal communication.
3. Bring your children into your circle of silence. Encourage them to bring silent times into their own lives. It helps them to value the ability to concentrate as well as make graceful exits from arguments. It enables them to release stress by learning to calm themselves.
4. Schedule silent times. Set aside time in your day for being completely silent. You can choose the time of day as well as the amount of time you’ll use. You’re making time for you so you can make the rules. Remember that once you make the rules it will be easier to stick to them.
5. Explain your silent times. It’s your decision whether or not you explain your personal solitude. People are going to form their own opinions regardless of the true reason why, so why not be unavailable during these times. After all isn’t that the purpose of silent times?
6. Make use of the tools available to you. When out in public, wearing headphones without playing anything keeps people from distracting you or talking to you. Use your answering machine to intercept your telephone calls while integrating silent times at home. Silence is new to many women, so exploration is different.
Ella Patterson is a published author
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