The Sound of Silence

The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.  -Rumi

 Silence… a rarity in today’s world, but the gift of new fallen snow.  Have you ever thought about how we so often feel the need to fill silence?  Fill it with human sounds?  We play music, we listen to podcasts, we talk, we whistle… all ways to drown out any silence that might creep into our days.

I have grown to love silence – a rarity even in the natural world.  Our days, living next to the woods, are filled with all manner of natural sound… the wind in the canopy, the creaking of tree against tree, birdsong, the cracking of twigs as deer navigate the woods, the rushing of creek water over stones and fallen logs… so many sounds.

What is it about silence that makes us uncomfortable?  Is it the sudden realization that we are alone with our thoughts… no distractions?

As we walked through the snow-covered woods this weekend, I couldn’t help but notice the silence.  All woods sounds were muffled by the snow.  The fierce winds that blew through the treetops last week were gone.  The birds were silent, save for a few intermittent taps from local woodpeckers.  There were no human sounds as well.  Just stillness – peace.

I stood there, immersed in silence… and for several minutes could only hear the sound of my own circulatory system… the soft whooshing in my ears to which I’ve grown accustomed.  I wanted to sit on a fallen tree trunk to continue enjoying the peace, but three dogs urged us onward.  The challenge, when faced with complete silence is to quiet our brains so that no thought creeps in.  To become more aware of what surrounds us and less aware of our individuality.  In that moment of “mindful mindlessness” I find peace.   No matter what is happening out there in the world (both mine and others’) for that one silent moment, everything is perfect.

I think that silence might be something we humans need to seek… learning to quiet our over-active brains and for a moment, just exist in that quiet space between nothing and everything… thoughtfully thought-less.

With freshly fallen snow, this weekend, we had plenty of quiet to enjoy…. 

cooking, knitting by the fire,

and daily woods walks.

I also finished puzzle #2.  This one was a really fun one to do!

I am happy to say that Red has completed (as of yesterday) his course of antibiotics for Lyme disease.  By all appearances, he has made a complete recovery.  We didn’t miss a single dose of his meds in the past 5 weeks, so… we have done our very best to get him back to health.  Fingers crossed he stays this way.  I am sure he is relieved to no longer have a halter on his head, and to not have us sticking a syringe into his mouth twice a day. 

Let’s hope that is the end of all of that!