Television. Movies. Video Games. YouTube. Facebook. Mp3s. Radio. Cell phones. Office meetings. Classes. Lunch chats. City traffic. Barking dogs. Wailing sirens. "Elevator music." Public address systems. Seems to be no end to the sound that fills our days. We leave a job or school where people talk to us all day and go home to the chatter of children or the neighbor's dog barking. Someone turns on the TV while dinner is prepared. Does it ever end? Does anyone else out there treasure the sound of silence?Sometimes it seems the sound emanating from my television permeates every cell in my body and acts like a form of itching powder for my nerves. My husband is a great guy, but he was raised in front of the TV and can't seem to turn it off. And even if he does, then he puts in a movie or watches videos on YouTube. When we drive somewhere, music is always playing in the car. Maybe I'm strange (don't answer that!), but there are days when I absolutely CRAVE silence. Or, at the very least, a moment of being unplugged from technology to listen to the birds or the wind in the trees. My brain seems to relax, and soon my muscles follow.
What does this all have to do with the theme of this blog? Well, the second part of the theme is "inspiring lives." I don't know about you, but some quiet time for me is indeed inspiring. Once my mind is free from the clutter of noise that bombards my day, I can really think about a creative project, about God, or about my future. Perhaps if you find the same, together we can indirectly inspire the lives of others by encouraging them to spend about a half an hour a day "unplugged" from the noises around them.
Am I the only one? Do you crave silence? If so, what do you do with it? Read? Meditate? Or maybe just breathe in and out and let your mind rest? What kind of benefits do you find in silence? Are there any drawbacks to unplugging?
This week, let's try an experiment. Try to find 15 to 30 minutes each day to unplug and relish in the silence. We'll meet back here next week to discuss our results!
