Silence is topical in my ecosystem*. I am reading about silence, thinking about it, seeking it, observing it, and, sometimes, dwelling in it.
Silence, as I know it, or as I desire it, is neither complete nor profound. It is simply stillness, calm, and quiet, dappled with distant bird song, the gentle ticking of a kitchen clock, and little sighs of pleasure from a resting dog. When I can rest fully in this silence, I am content. But those resting periods are rare and often elusive.
With Christmas hurtling towards me (or is it the other way round? :D), I feel a deep need to capture more silence ; to hold it tighter as a buffer against the maelstrom of noise and nonsense which swirls in with the silly season. Yet to capture the small, transitory silences dotted around me is hard.
What can I do to gather in the silence? Create a silence-catcher akin to a dream-catcher?
I read “Praying” by Mary Oliver.
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
Her words fill me with hope. There is a doorway into a wondrous silence. There is no need to catch or harvest or grasp silence. I need only open the door, slowly and gently.
This Advent I will do just that. Silence, plentiful and peaceful, will be my Advent quest.
Will you join me? Each day, as part of my quest, I hope to post a daily image from my place of silence. Please note the word “hope”. 🙂
December ~what does it hold for me?
As well as my images, you may also enjoy the blog posts linked below. They inspire me to think about silence.
Postscript: ecosystem* I am amused by the current/catchword overuse of this word. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to play with it.
I like to recycle calendars. My friend and photographer, David Dobbs, made the featured calendar in 2017. I have added a fresh December page to the December image. I keep this calendar in my bedroom. I will eventually make a few entries on it but mostly I will leave it bare to remind me that each day is a blank canvas to fill, or not, as I choose. I have David’s 2018 calendar in the kitchen. That calendar is cluttered with appointments and reminders!
silkannthreades 