A Day Of Silence

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I'm open by being one hundred percent truthful. While I love a lack of noise, taking myself to a place of total silence internally is not easy. I have a wonderfully racing mind. It can be like riding wild horses at times. As I age, however, I have found the reins. I can keep at a pace that works for me most of the time, and occasionally enjoy moments of delicious calm.

Calm is, however, not silence. Study after study has show that allowing our mind periods of silence where all focus ceases, is important to creativity and to our mental health. We live in age age we are overburdened with input. Information on everything from world events, to scientific advances, to things we need to know to successfully walk through our daily lives has multiplied a hundred times over. There is no way we can focus on, or fully understand, all of it. Most of the time we just skim the surface.

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What happens when we let our mind go of focus, of planning, of solving, of directing can be very special.  It frees up our brain cells to explore all the input it has been receiving.  As it explores, it begins to find connections we couldn't see when we were pushing so hard. Ideas that have been swirling deep within are allowed to come into our conscious mind. Solutions to problems that have been plaguing us become visible.  New directions we had never thought of appear.  If you are a creative of any kind - artist, photographer, author, poet - this is where inspiration can be found. 

When I saw the poster/quote talking about a day of silence, I was intrigued.  I already know the benefits of being in a state of internal silence. It isn't easy, but I have achieved it a few times - usually while moving.  Bicycling hard into the wind for an hour, or walking in nature, have both brought me to a place of mental quiet. Ideas began to bubble up unbidden from deep within. Unrecognized revelations appeared that astounded me. 

I discovered the connection between movement and silence as I was writing my first book. When the words would just not come and my anxiety start to rise, I learned to jump on my bicycle and pedal hard for an hour - wind washing over my body and the beauty of nature rushing by.  My mind would be babbling away non-stop. I just ignored it and let it do it's thing. Then eventually the chatter would disappear. In that quiet space, I would find my next sentence.  The block would be gone. From deep inside, I would be given what I needed to continue writing.  

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I know for some people they can easily sit quietly and sink deep within. Perhaps if I practiced this on a daily basis I could too, but could I find a way to embrace a whole day of silence? No books, no computer, no writing, no social media, no music - was that possible for me?  I know that I would have to be alone in the house, so it would have to be when Glen was gone on a fishing trip.  I also know I would need to work up to it for a few months before. 

Every year I try to embrace new challenges and experiences.  While I didn't create an actual bucket list this year, I think I will embrace one challenge.  That will be to practice sitting in silence, slowly building up to a full day of silence. The overwhelming positive experiences I have had embracing just a short period of silence, lead me to get goosebumps thinking about the possibilities if I find a way to be in silence for a full day. 

Wish me luck. 

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