
“When you sit in silence long enough, you learn that silence has a motion. It glides like water. Its colour is silver. And silence has a sound you hear only after hours of wading inside it. The sound is soft, like flute notes rising up, like the words of glass speaking. Then there comes a point when you must shatter the blindness of its words the blindness of its light.”
Growing up fifth of six kids, I learned that life was chaos and noise. It was where I thrived. Always shared a room, and later, an apartment, and marriage, and my own children, and when finally silence found me, it was shattering. It took a long while for me to appreciate the gift in silence, and like anything in life, I had to learn not to rest there too long.
Balance and moderation. That’s what I seek.
But, oh, I do love silence.
Thanks for sharing this simple but profound message.
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Sometimes silence can be deafening, and I need that balance to smooth the edges of silence and noise.
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Exactly.
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As the eldest of five and father of five I can appreciate all you say
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Oh my gosh, Derrick. I’m tired thinking about it.
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I’ve sought out silence ever since I was a kid. Not constant silence, of course, but enough to keep me centered.
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Good instincts Liz.
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Thanks, VJ!
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I love this so much VJ! What a beautiful description!
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Thanks Terri
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VJ, being a writer, I’ve sought after silence to help me focus. But lately as a widower it’s isolated me further—not always to my advantage. The idea of balance is central, and we must choose the best way. Thank you for such thought provoking words. Cheers!
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Thanks Gary. I was just talking to someone yesterday about the nuances of silence as we age.
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Balance is a must, but I like the scales tipped slightly towards silence; silence in nature, which is never really complete silence if you listen closely.
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You’re right, Heather. Silence in nature is so alive.
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These words penetrate the very depths of my soul. Thank you.
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Don’t they? Glad you resonated, Mary
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VJ…this is a gorgeous piece of writing — new to me. This really stands out:
…”silence has a sound you hear only after hours of wading inside it…”
Wow. 💝
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It was new to me too, Vicki, and equally wowed me.
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So very relatable for me these days, VJ
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A part of aging, I think.
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Indeed so
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