Discover the need for Silence in life.

The Need for Silence

“A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.”
Charlotte Bronte

I was asked a couple of weeks ago “what makes a person know when its time for some rest and relaxation”? That question came at a most opportune moment because I was in the midst of preparing for a two week vacation from work. When asked I instinctively turned inward to touch my feelings for I have discovered that truth is found within my feelings. I responded thoughtfully but didn’t have the time to dwell upon the question until I was actually on vacation and I allowed my mind to quiet.

“True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.”
William Penn

The quiet mind is the place to discover the answers to your deepest questions. It is a place of uncovering your desires and a place of solace from which you can dream your greatest dreams. Taking the time to enter this quiet is the secret to obtaining rest. How much time do you spend in quiet? Do you allow your mind to still and thoughts to vanish or do you proceed on at the rapid pace of our society ignoring the need for nourishment and refreshment that the mind needs?

“To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward.”
Margaret Fairless Barber

In that place of quiet you will find who you are, discover where you have been, and will become aware of the direction in which you are heading. Such contemplation is necessary in order for you to grow to your fullest potential. Without those moments of recharge and rest you will find yourself wandering amid the chaos of unnecessary thought.

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”
Ovid

How do you know when it is time for rest and relaxation? It is time when your mind cannot find quiet, when your heart begins to feel despair, and when you cannot find the answers to the questions of life. These three things create an awareness of imbalance in all aspects of your life and will signal the need for time away from the rigors of daily life.

“The rest is silence.”
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), "Hamlet", Act 5 scene 2

If your vacation is full of activity, if it does not allow you moments of silence or if it invades your every thought with the noise of the world you will not find rest or relaxation but will perpetuate the pain of despair and the agony of imbalance in your life. It is only when you allow silence to penetrate your world that you will find the rest and relaxation that you were seeking. Once silence is found you will find answers appear, imbalance fade, and the feeling of despair subside. It is then that you will find your life change and the wonder of wholeness appear.

“Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.”
Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

All answers, all needs, and all illusions are found within silence. It is there that you will find ‘the things you cannot hear’ and ‘not bothering’ as Pooh said. You will uncover the beauty of your world and will enhance the journey of your life. You will discover the path of least resistance and find that life can be full of ease.

“Sometimes the most urgent and vital thing you can do is take a complete rest.”
Unknown

Allow rest to become a vital part of your life. Slow down the wandering mind and create instead an oasis of peace where you can go to find the rest and relaxation you need. It is there that you will find the intent to change your life and uncover the energy and drive to make things happen.

“Let us cross the river, and rest under the trees.”
Thomas Jonathan [Stonewall] Jackson, last words, 10 May 1863.

The when of taking rest and relaxation is up to each of us to discover. Our lives are so different that any one recipe would not suffice. We are in charge of our lives and as such are in charge of our time for rest and relaxation. It is important to know the when of your individual life and to follow that inner call that will lead you to the oasis of peace.

“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”
Susan Polis Schutz