“May you dwell in a space that allows you to breathe.” – Steven Charleston
It’s quiet now. Gone are the sounds of laughter, great tales, and cheering for favorite teams. Gone are the visiting critters who bark at seemingly nothing, whine as if they believe they are talking, and snore as loud as grandma. It’s quiet now. And while the hour upon hour of the cacophony was pure bliss there is the blessing of the sound of silence…space.
As a young child I avoided space for silence like the bitterness of a spoonful of medicine. Chatting, music, television whatever filled the airwaves was an elixir to my ears. It was as if silence – space – was a deep, cavernous void that should be circumvented as quickly as possible.
Then one warm sunny day at camp a counselor I completely admired invited our small group to close our eyes…to focus on our breathing…to listen to all the sounds of creation that surrounded us…to create space in our brains to just be present in the moment…
“Solitude, by contrast, is a state of peaceful aloneness or voluntary isolation. It is an opportunity for self-reflection and a chance to connect with ourselves without distraction or disturbance. . . . Developing comfort with solitude, then, is an essential part of strengthening our connection to ourselves and by extension enabling our connection with others.”
This quote by Vivek H Murthy, 10th Surgeon General, was shared with me by longtime friend and colleague, psychologist Mark Sundby, who goes on to offer, “If you’re a spiritual person, solitude can be a spiritual practice. It’s a choice we make to create the space to find connection to that which we call Divine….In the quiet that solitude provides, our minds are free to reflect without distraction; we can connect to ourselves deeply, examining our gifts and challenges. Through self-reflection, we become comfortable with ourselves, understanding who we are at our core. When we can tune into ourselves honestly, we can then more easily tune in to others…”
Contemplation, meditation, mindfulness – both the religious and psychological community agree cultivating a regular practice of creating space is critical for mind, body and soul health. I’m eternally grateful to that camp counselor who began to transform my mindset that all space must be filled to the holiness that resides in the space of silence.
“To empty the self is not an act of denial, but of fulfillment, for it creates space for God to fill one’s being. We are satisfied by nothing less than God; our deepest desire is to be one with God, even as Jesus was. Made in the image of God, our destiny is to become one with God, so that we too can say, not my will but God’s be done. This is not a loss, but again, the greatest gain.” – Author unknown
“What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight
can douse the flames
almost as surely
as a pail of water would.
So building fires
requires attention
to the spaces in between,
as much as to the wood.
When we are able to build
open spaces
in the same way
we have learned
to pile on the logs,
then we can come to see how
it is fuel, and absence of the fuel
together, that make fire possible.
We only need to lay a log
lightly from time to time.
A fire grows simply because the space is there,
with openings in which the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way.” – Judy Brown