My Day of Silence…

“I know I thought it was impossible too.”

I was asked to observe a day of silence and journal about the experience for a training course I was participating in. My first reaction was this would be impossible given my line of work and the fact that I have two small children. Like most busy women, my weekends also involved commitments. So I must admit I was a bit skeptical if I could realistically accomplish this task. I discussed it with my husband and he encouraged me to follow through.

I chose a day during the Thanksgiving weekend since I did not have any work commitments scheduled. I marked it on our family calendar with the best of intentions. I was not even sure if I was actually going to go through with it but since my husband reminded me of it that morning before I actually spoke, I thought I should at least give it a try.

He explained the situation to our children. They got a kick out it. I had a pad of paper near by so I could write messages when I needed to communicate with anyone. My only excursion out of the house was attending Yoga class. I prepared an index card which explained I was observing a day of silence. As people spoke to me in class, I simply showed them my card and smiled. I was beginning to realize that it really wasn’t that difficult not to speak. As the day continued, we had a house full of kids. My children explained that “my homework was I was not allowed to talk out loud.” They got a kick out of reading my notes. It was a fun game to them.

“Less noise from my mouth resulted in less noise in my head.“

Reflecting on my experience, I realized a few interesting things. Less noise from my mouth resulted in less noise in my head. My heart felt lighter. I felt a level of humility. My words are a big part of my power and presence. Although my role in the world seemed less flamboyant without my ten dollar words, it was still relevant. I felt less urgency. I didn’t have to be in the middle of things to have influence. This to me is very energy efficient. As I sat back and watched my husband deal with a disagreement our children were having, it occurred to me that things could get crazy and still get resolved without my verbal input. Normally I would have jumped in to resolve things quicker but instead I was just an observer. It reminded me that the world actually does go on without us. Some may feel sad hearing this statement when in fact it can be very liberating. When we accept the fact we do not have to be the conductor of every piece of music played in our lives, we give ourselves the freedom to sit back and experience the individual instruments. We are able to quiet down and enjoy the finer details that make up the beauty in our life. We become much more mindful in our daily lives.

After completing my day of silence, I felt everyone should have this peaceful experience if not only for a brief period in their day. I can appreciate the fact that a full day of silence may be extreme for most but I do encourage you to set some time aside for yourself. You may want to start with a half hour and see how it goes. Quite often when we quiet ourselves down, we are able to hear our most important messages that come from deep within. The constant chatter that goes on in our mind distracts us from indentifying what we truly need. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or confused with which direction to turn, my advice to you is SHHHH…