The Gift of Silence

I once went to a silent retreat. I don’t know how I got convinced it would be a great idea, but I went with a friend who was on a path to become a spiritual teacher and volunteered to be her wing woman. It was three days long. For about 66 of the 72 hours, it really wasn’t my thing in the slightest and I couldn’t believe I volunteered for such a racket! However, somehow during the last six hours I found a way to become a little more peaceful and actually didn’t mind my own company so much.

When the retreat was done, it was time to drive home. Needless to say, I was not prepared for the stark contrast of life outside of our silent retreat! The road was busy and loud with car lights and traffic signs and everything seeming more intense than normal. I went to turn on the radio and turned that off because it became “noisy.” I called home to say I was on my way and the background noise there sounded like a famous boyband just showed up with everyone screaming in excitement. I couldn’t believe how loud my normal world had all of a sudden become!

The real benefit of the silent retreat settled in the next day. When I could process all that was going on, I realized how “noisy” our lives had become. It allowed me to appreciate silence a little more and be aware of overstimulating environments to which I had become numb. Now, I wasn’t begging to go back to a silence retreat, but I will say I was grateful I had that box checked off and did connect with the benefit of it.

Fast forward to my expedition to climb Ama Dablam in Nepal’s gorgeous Himalayas… I would say I had a modified version of another silent retreat. A little longer time away from the “noise” of life, but much welcomed conversations throughout the day that broke up the silence. Flying back into Kathmandu after summiting had a similar feel to my first time entering the world from my three-day silent retreat weekend. Again, the benefit of the silence was noticed more after the experience than during.

My monkey mind is particularly good at monkeying. Honestly, it is rather fascinating to just sit and observe all that goes on in there. Sitting in silence and being a witness to my mind has helped me live with more intention, purpose, and passion. It’s also helped me regroup from judgment, worry, and fear. I’m able to notice the different “noise” of the exterior world and my interior world. There is a correlation for me as well… The busier my exterior world is the longer and harder it is for my interior world to get to a peaceful place. With my “noise” tolerance lower than normal, I am taking time to pause and sit in silence. It is not my favorite part of my day, but it does help the rest of my day run smoothly. It helps me connect and communicate with myself so I can connect and communicate with others with more intention and purpose.

Things to think about… How much quiet exists in your daily life? How do you use noise to distract you from thoughts and feelings? Is there any fear there considering the ways we use noise to distract? Is there a way to increase more quiet time in your life going forward?