Unusual Silence
Five o’clock. Out the door, heading for home. It rained today in Portland. In fact, it POURED all day today in Portland. I think I even spotted a fish that was flapping around on the sidewalk on my way home.
Anyway. Back to the post-work recap. So, I scurry through the rain trying my best to keep the rain off my glasses, hop in my Jeep and start ‘er up. Something was different. Oh yes, the stereo was turned off because I had lunch with a friend and conversation was more important than the local talk show.
So…here I sit. The sounds I hear are the swoosh-swoosh of my windshield wipers and the steady drum of raindrops pelting my vehicle. First thought: “Time for some music.” Second thought: “What about riding home with the radio off?”
Off I went…the radio off and an awkward sound - the sound of nothing but the road, rain and the other vehicles kicking up water around me. There I was, driving home with nothing to stimulate my mind but mindless traffic and my own thoughts.
It may sound strange how 30 minutes of driving in silence results in epiphanies or anything deep but it really caused me to think about how I live my life. I like the noise. I enjoy the constant sounds. The music. The TV. Friends talking. Strangers chatting away. Sound comforts me.
I realized something. I’m no longer used to stillness. Even now I sit here with nothing but a couple of lights on and my laptop in my lap. The only sounds are the cars driving by on the street below and the rat-a-tat-tat of my keyboard…and it feels…strange. Odd. Like something is missing when it obviously isn’t.
What does all the noise do? Where does my dependency on aural activity come from? As a city-dweller, it’s part of my life. Absolute stillness is as rare as the sight of an eagle on a street corner.
“Be still and know…” Famous words from a famous book. “Be still and know…that I am God.”
Has the busyness and “noise” of life drowned out the still small voice that is constantly beckoning me to be still…and know?
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