Nothin’ to say
I usually post a new blog every Monday. It’s Thursday, and I’ve still got nothin’ to say.
Nothing clever. Nothing funny. Nothing profound. Nothing news-worthy (not that I write about news, because who wants to meditate about that?) I look out at my porch, mind vacant.
So perhaps it’s time to be still and rest. In our noisy world, where people clamor for attention so they can feel validated as individuals, silence is not a big virtue. In fact, as parents, we fret over children who won’t answer clearly, freely offer a handshake, or advocate for themselves to teachers and coaches. Quiet children concern us. How will they ever make it in this world??
And we miss the best self-soothing mechanism ever invented. Rest. Peace. Tranquility. The ability to be quiet and completely comfortable.
A lot of wise people have written about this concept. Here’s some food for thought, from some well-known writers:
“I’ve begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own.” ― Chaim Potok, The Chosen
“Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact.” ― George Eliot, Impressions of Theophrastus Such
“He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.”
― Elbert Hubbard
“You have a grand gift for silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Sherlock Holmes
“Silence is only frightening to people who are compulsively verbalizing.”
― William S. Burroughs, The Job: Interviews with William S. Burroughs
“How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. How much better to sit by myself like the solitary sea-bird that opens its wings on the stake. Let me sit here for ever with bare things, this coffee cup, this knife, this fork, things in themselves, myself being myself.”
― Virginia Woolf, The Waves
“Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life. Silence is pushing the off button. Shutting it down. All of it. – Amir” ― Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
“In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.”
― Mother Teresa, In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers
“If you can sit in silence with a person for half an hour and yet be entirely comfortable, you and that person can be friends. If you cannot, friends you’ll never be and you need not waste time in trying.” ― L.M. Montgomery, The Blue Castle
“Silence is full of potential wisdom.” and “We live, in fact, in a world starved for silence, for solitude, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.”–C. S. Lewis
“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”–Proverbs 14:30
And so I sit in my kitchen with the glass door open to a back yard bathed in early morning stillness. Only the birds chirp excitedly to one another, and wind rustles leaves awaiting autumn’s color. I wonder why I can’t live right here, every day, breathing in peace on earth instead of the frenzied pace of a universe catapulting toward exhaustion and disillusioned hopes.
Maybe having nothin’ to say speaks volumes.
The Conversation
I’m sure you have something to write about. Have you ever been to the dentist, stubbed your toe, had a hangnail, flown on an airplane, watched a sunset, been awakened by a cat at three in the morning, faced a deadline, mowed your lawn, been the subject of a rumor, had a bad hair day, had a house guest, eaten chocolate, better yet maple syrup, danced at a wedding, ridden a horse, kayaked, taken a walk in the woods, been to a zoo, taken a drivers test, learned to do something new, lost your purse, skidded on an icy road, gone fishing, fallen in love, shot a shotgun, cleaned up a mess off your kitchen floor, sneezed in church, fried an egg, hosted a party, consoled a child, had a bad diagnosis, tried to lose weight, been to a major league baseball game, played volleyball, donated blood, collected salt shakers, sneezed with a mouthful, been dead broke, laughed with a friend, had a temper tantrum, had a problem getting the lid off of a jar, milked a cow, fed ducks, took first prize, experienced a paper cut, tripped over a shoelace, gotten lost in a strange city, broken your glasses, been to a writers conference, cried in public, felt so good you didn’t care what anyone else thought, played pick-up-sticks, lost a game of scrabble to a foreign exchange student, camped out in a pup tent, been afraid, touched a snake, eaten liver and onions, served communion, stomped in a mud puddle, defied your parents, discovered you’ve become your mother, skipped stones, painted a picture, written a poem, been too shy to tell someone you liked him, had a romantic meal, discovered dandruff on your little black dress, gotten a brain freeze from ice cream, been so excited you couldn’t contain yourself, flirted, tried to swing so high you could go over the bar, been stopped by a cop for speeding, been embarrassed, regretted saying something, voted for the wrong candidate, been politically incorrect, talked to your dog, searched for a lost ring, gone into a store looking for something you couldn’t describe, smoked a cigar, done something super silly, been mistreated, had trouble forgiving someone, showed up a day late for an appointment, talked with a shrink, traveled to a foreign country, eaten frog legs, been on a cruise, invented something, sang karaoke, gone trick or treating, pulled a prank on someone, ridden a bicycle, run a foot race, challenged someone to a contest, been in a fight, hidden something from someone, disagreed with the preacher, said I’m sorry, been tickled till you couldn’t catch your breath. I’m sure you have millions of things to write about, but it’s okay to just not be in the mood to write. God bless you my friend.
Wow, you told me!! Thanks for all the great suggestions, Ed. Next time, I’m just going to message you for an idea. That was quite an impressive list of topics! Thanks for the encouragement. Have a great day!
You seem to do well on your own. We all have flat days, and that’s okay. Thke care and I’ll catch up with you on line the next time you find something you want to write about. May God Bless you.
You should sit down and write something right now, while you have all those great ideas flowing through your brain!