Monday, 15. February 2010 9:17
Some years ago my husband and I decided to spend a day without speaking. We were going to a cabin in the mountains for the weekend, and Saturday would be a day in silence. He had read about people doing this, and we wanted to see if we would actually be able to do it.
What I remember is that we had a lovely day together, and that it was more amusing than challenging. We made breakfast, walked up to a beautiful view with a packed lunch, had a special dinner back at the cabin, and warmth from the fire-place in the evening. Just BEING together. We have not really wanted to spend a day in silence again, but it made a difference to us to have had the experience. Perhaps we have less need to explain or comment everything…..
The first Sunday I decided to have a day in silence for myself, I spent most of the time alone in the woods. I did some speaking in the morning and in the evening, but I had my awareness in a BEING-mode. The second month my Sunday in silence was the day 17 family-members were coming to our house for the annual Christmas-dinner. After considering various alternatives, I decided it would do most good for myself and everyone else if I was able to provide an atmosphere of flowing calmness in a natural way, as I hosted the party. It became a wonderful day.
Now I have had my third month of silent Sunday. I told my husband I wanted this to be a day of stillness for me. It was very cold, and it was good to sit by the wood-stove, read, listen to music, improvise on my piano, do some Taichi, and talk very little. I read a book about stillness written by a Norwegian woman. I also kept in my consciousness all the other women in the network I had “signed up” to be a part of. Living in a quiet environment, in a small town with everything within walking distance, my needs for keeping a balanced life may be different from those living in other settings. But this is my experience at this time.
In the creative spirit,
PS! The author’s name is Kristin Flood, and the title of the book is “Room for stillness” – a gift to yourself.
I would like to share some quotes from her book:
- “When we go into stillness because we choose to connect with it, something deeper in us is touched.”
- “Stillness inspires us to view life from a different place than before. Here we can find new and more creative solutions. Or learn to accept what is inevitable. We develop a greater attunement between what we feel, think and perceive, and the life we are living.”
- “When we are in stillness, we have touched into an invisible field in our existence. Here is a peace which pours out its harmony.”
