Prescribed Silence

Dings, rings, beeps, clicks, taps, buzzes, whistles. We hear these every day. Thousands of times every day. Our days are so filled with sound we don’t realize how little break our ears have from this cacophony.

A few weeks ago, it was later into the night and I just finished eating. I didn’t have anything particular to do, so I decided to get artsy. I sat down, pulled out a neglected paint-by-numbers of my dog, and went to work. About 5 minutes in, it hit me. I was struck by the silence. Not a creature was stirring in my home: no music, no fans, no tv, phone on silent.

This calm presence was completely unfamiliar, used to a constant crowd of jumbled sounds. The silence filled me with a peaceful focus while I struggled to keep paint between the lines. I felt my chest rise and fall as I swapped from #23 to #22, completely entranced with my painting. My mind jumped around from thought to thought. It was a bafflingly tranquil time in my living room.

My accidental noise purge lasted about an hour and a half. That hour and a half gave me much more than some TLC to my painting. It gave me a newly-found appreciation for silence. To be able to dismiss outside distractions and just sit for a bit.

After my meditative experience last month, I decided to make it a weekly practice. Just to find something to do for an hour or so, turn everything off, and get to it. Each time I do this now, a calm wave passes over me. I hone into my book, drawing, stretching, and just relax. My thoughts flow more freely as a river of constant presence.

I am very thankful for my prescribed cup of silence for the week. I’m no doctor, but this is medicine for the soul. To immerse in a blank slate and feel that full presence, feels great for the mind and body, and I would highly recommend giving it a taste.

Tell me how you like it! And if you don’t, tell me why!