Silence is Golden

(written Wednesday, January 17, 07)

I had my doubts.

A week spent in a former outbuilding-turned office-turned guest house with no TV, no phone and no radio...I would surely go mad.

Well, it's my last evening here and, contrary to what I had anticipated, I am sad to leave what has become "my little haven."

Each morning and each evening, I am engulfed in silence. Outside my door lies a blanket of snow that seems to muffle even the most basic sounds of nature. No night sounds or tree branches crackling...no crunch of leaves or bushes rattling...instead, the air is still, muted even.

As hard as I try, it's difficult to recall my normal routine back home. Thoughts of alarm clocks, telephones ringing and the Today Show blaring seem so distant--far away from this room where all connections to the outside world do not exist.

With no TV, I pour through books and magazines.

With no radio, I sing songs in my head or even at the top of my lungs.

Then, for periods of time, I sit in complete stillness...part meditation, part awe of how enveloping total silence can be. Not even the flicker of my candle pierces the emptiness.

Tomorrow, I depart. A car radio once again pouring sound into my ears, I will drive away from this haven and venture back into a world of new reports, commercial breaks and a hectic, fast-paced schedule. And as my world returns to normal, I'll look back with longing at these precious days spent in a guest house in the middle of a snowy field in upstate Washington... this little haven where the "sound" of complete silence was a welcome retreat for my soul.