Stepping out of the car I put my finger to my lips. My husband shrugging his shoulders and waving his arm is asking why? “Silence”, I say. We stand there on top of the mountain together breathing it in- no breeze or birds and clear blue sky and absolutely no sound. It was annoying and sad for the moment to only last 2 minutes- a bird sang followed immediately by a noisy group of tourists invading our spot. I was greatly moved by this moment realizing that I could not remember the last moment of silence in my life. What I consider silence includes the sound of cars, birds chirping, dogs barking and planes flying overhead. It just means the TV, phone and CD player are off and there are no humans within 10 feet. This moment of true silence startled me and the refreshment to my sound-pounded soul was wonderful! We drove on for hours after that without radio or CD’s remembering what we knew we might never capture again.


In all personality tests out there I come out as the director- the socialite- “the annoying one” who interrupts the quiet lives of others! God knew there would be a limit to how long I would have lasted in the silence and I definitely would have been the one to break it at some point. How sweet of the Lord to interrupt it before I was ready so I would savor it and desire it again. This past year I have appreciated being alone more hours of my day. It has given me time to read, write and think about what is really important. To appreciate very simple things I probably used to run over as the “bulldozer” Planet Carol! I don’t want to become a hermit- I must live within a mile of a 24 hour grocery and drive thru to make it! I do want more moments of silence- amazing how much wisdom comes to your heart in just 2 minutes of it………….