Project Simplicity: Silence

I have four children now. They all want to listen to Greatest Showman at full blast whenever possible. The baby even wiggles along to the music, fascinated by his rockstar older sisters.

Today I discovered one of the most valuable, treasured things in the world: silence.

I had a rare experience of silence for the first time in months as my husband took all four children out to run some errands.

I’ve always enjoyed silence. A quiet recovery period after almost any social activity is always necessary for my well-being. Driving for long periods of time alone and with no radio or other noise is exhilarating.

These days, silence is a difficult thing to experience, not only for me but our entire culture. When was the last time you used free time to remain in complete silence? Or taken a walk alone, listening to nothing but the environment around you?

Maybe this is a “don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone” type of thing, but now that I’m reminded of its power, I’ve decided to schedule some time for silence every day.

(I often try to make a *new* habit of getting out of bed an hour before everyone else does to experience the beautiful morning silence. Every time I try, it seems all of my kids have the same idea.)

I have a ton of unfinished posts for my Project Simplicity series, but none of them were worth sharing as “the next post”. Today, in my time of silence, I realized that silence is one of the most powerful mind-body-soul simplifying practices there is. 

When I spend time in silence I HEAR so much more. I hear the many “voices” in my head clearly and I’m suddenly able to organize my overwhelming to do list.

I’m able to pray and hear from God about important life decisions. How do I “hear” from God? By experiencing His refreshing peace and powerful encouragement in some areas, and a clear sense of unrest and confusion in other areas that I should not put effort into anymore. (For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7)

When experiencing silence during a walk outside I first hear nothing, then suddenly I’m tuned in to an orchestra with countless instruments playing all the same time. I would never hear this if I wasn’t committed to experiencing the time in silence. Even if I’m walking with my loved ones, it’s nice to soak in the intermittent moments of silence as we walk together, or encourage everyone to remain quiet so that nature’s orchestra may be heard.

As I write this, I’m experiencing silence in my home. I’m typing, so I’m not completely mindful of the silence. But I’m keenly aware of the old-fashioned clock ticking, the dog snoring and the many annoying sounds the dishwasher makes.

I’m amazed right now at how much I appreciate being able to hear the many annoying sounds the dishwasher makes.