Today Michael and I had an interesting conversation. It was about silence. And no, we didn’t just sit there in silence and stare into one anothers eyes. We talked and there were wonderful, thoughtful pauses between our words, silence.
A good conversation ebbs and flows like the tide. It has health and healing entwined deep within it.
It is peaceful, you know, a little silence. It settles comfortability on your mind and gives it room to breathe.
We talked of silence and realized it is a missing link in most conversations. We hurry, pushing our own words into every crack and crevice available.
Conversations therefore often become rigid, almost brittle. The two conversants almost throwing up in each others laps but neither caring or hearing what the other is actually saying.
We are distracted and silence feels awkward. But when tried on and practiced, it is like a favorite tee shirt, soft, comforting, and incredibly breathable.
Sometimes silence speaks louder in our own minds than words. It is often in those times that inspiration and revelation come. In those still moments, our minds lay to rest the scattered frantic thoughts and open to a deeper place of calm clarity.
Therefore, we were reminded not only of the importance of, but the necessity of silence in conversation
Putting to use the skill of listening and letting silence infuse a conversation so the real words can come out, the necessary words. Not the cheap, easily forgotten ones. They flap around like minnows in pools of draining water.
No, skilled silence brings out the deep words, the words that need to be heard. It lures them from the depths and calls them to burst forth.
Some would say that silence is golden. I would tend to agree.
I am going to practice a little more listening, a little more silence and see where it takes me. I am anticipating to the heights and beyond!
Question: Have you ever experimented with silence in your conversations? How did it go?
