SILENCE & THE HEAT PUMP
We’ve lived in the south for close to twenty years and while it’s not uncommon for us to turn on the air conditioning when it’s snowing in other parts of the country, the heat has been running non-stop. That is until our heat pump decided it was tired and quit.
The sudden silence was deafening. In fact it drew my attention immediately. The temperature in the house had not even begun to fall. If you have forced air heat, like we do, you know what I mean! When the heat shuts off, you notice!
True silence is hard to come by these days. I don’t know about you, but when a background noise stops, like the rushing of air through the vents, my body, mind and spirit heaves a collective sigh of relief. Today it was a wake-up, a reminder that noise is stressful. When our bodies relax in response to the quiet, it is its way of saying, “Thank you. I really needed the quiet.”
SILENCE IS FUEL
Silence feeds us, calms us and allows our body to build up energy on its own. External noise, especially extraneous, background noise is not only stressful, but draining.
There’s another kind of background noise that can deplete our energy, and that is the running commentary, or mind chatter, that goes on far too many hours in the day, chipping away at our self-confidence and sapping our energy. This dialogue is often unconscious, but ambient noise that is there nevertheless. A stream of negative chatter may accompany us wherever we go.
I’ll give you an example. You walk into a coffee shop to get a cup of coffee on your way to work. There’s a line at the counter and you’re running late. Your inner conversation may be something like, “I should have gotten up earlier. I’m already late, I should just go. But, I really want coffee. I stayed up too late. I should have gone to bed earlier. God, I wish I wasn’t so old. I wish I had more energy, and look like the woman standing in front of me in line. I bet she isn’t going to be late for work.” You know what I mean, right?
TURNING DOWN THE NOISE
In order to turn off, or turn down, the noise in our lives, internal or external, we must first become aware of it. Occasionally, we are fortunate enough to receive a reminder like I did today when our heater broke. At other times we may need to be pro-active and to take very specific steps to create a quieter world.
I have started turning off my phone for periods of time throughout the day. I check for messages periodically, but without the constant beep and buzz of my cell phone, it’s much more peaceful. Not everyone is thrilled with my new practice, but it’s a great way for me to turn down the stress and create the quiet I need. There are a million ways of doing this. What steps do you take, or might you take, to create more quiet in your world?
“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
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You have expressed my sentiments exactly. Chaim Potok certainly knows about practicing what he preaches in that quote. I remember reading his memoir, The Chosen. Thanks, Dorothy.
Traveling similar paths! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Marian. I always value your input.
So beautifully articulated and so describes my feelings of wanting to turn inward and to have some “silence” in my life. I have begun to realize how stressful and tiring lots of “noise” can be. Living in NYC there is always noise and you think you become immune to it until you feel the weariness in your bones. I also appreciate the reminder to be kind to oneself. I often have high expectations that are based on the person I was 20 years ago. Although still gratefully healthy and vibrant, taking care of myself and adjusting expectations to be reasonable given my age is something I hope to work on in a kind way.
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I grew up not far from NYC and spent many a happy, energized day exploring everything this great city has to offer. My spirit has been restless since moving south 20 years ago, and yet now, as the years mount my need for silence precludes my often wished for return. Finding silence while living in such a vibrant, always alive and awake place must be exceedingly challenging! I hope you are able to escape now and again to far away places, or not so far away places, where silence still reigns. The beautiful Catskills come to mind. 🙂 Thanks for visiting. I hope you’ll come back again.
So well stated and so important for each of us to find that quiet place, and allow the silence to free our minds and souls. Thank you Dorothy.
I was fortunate to have another reminder of this in the last 24 hours! No power! I slept like a baby despite the cold, partly because it was so very quiet. Thanks for dropping in here, Eric.
What a wonderful reminder and so eloquently stated. Thank you!
Thanks, Robbie!
Love this post. When I come home from babysitting my 4 grandchildren (ages 3 to 11), the serenity of silence is so relaxing. I’ve never been one to need noise, even as a teenager. So silence is bliss.
I bet silence is exactly what you need after a day with your grandchildren! I know I sure would. How wonderful that they have you to look after them though. What a gift.
Silence is true wisdom’s best reply.I like the silence which is so deep that it hurts my ear.
So true. It is sometimes frightening to let go and resistance holds us back. But, when we allow ourselves to fall into the deep it is immensely healing.