There's something spiritual about silence

Being the introvert I am, you think I would have written about this a long time ago!

Nonetheless, it was a typical Sunday afternoon- volunteered a few hrs w/ the campaign then hopped on the bike in search of good eats and a place I could get some serious work done. Ended up in Panera I mean St. Louis Bread Co. (don't want the natives to catch a tude'), the place was packed! I waited at least 30mins just to get my Cesar salad. Since packed house usually means no free outlets to plug in my laptop, I opted for eating outside and diving into my latest read. Surprisingly I was the only one taking advantage of the 70 degree November weather, it was pure heaven.

Occasionally, I looked inside only to discover what seemed to be pure madness. Packed tables, children escaping their strollers and running around, 1st year med schoolers huddled around tables complaining about some unyielding professor and so on.

Meanwhile, I'm in total nirvana! Just me, my thoughts, and the remains of my french baguette. Despite living alone, I can't remember the last time I've had a conversation like this with myself. By this time, Mr. Camus is a little too deep for me to focus on; my thoughts are beginning to take over. I put the book down, finished up my baguette, closed my eyes and felt the crisp fall breeze sweep across my face and arms. In that moment I felt a calmness, something I haven't felt for a long while.

Except for the occasional person walking by or a car badly needing a tune up, I was totally undistracted. Ideas and questions just seemed to pour out my mind- had to grab my pen and paper!

Deciding to move to a bit more quieter spot, I hopped on the bike and headed to Forest Park. I stayed in the park for at least an hour, working through those thoughts I had earlier. I finally put the pen down and stretched out on the grass, and gazed up at the sky. A bit cliché, but I felt at one with nature. Like my mind and spirit were leaves meandering about in the breeze. There was really something spiritual, something different about that moment. No outside influences, no worrying about what someone thinks about you, no engaging in meaningless conversation- this moment was real. Yes, real! My spirit was experiencing realness. Real thoughts, real emotions, real being, real silence.







Silence, where have you been all my 22 years? Or is it, I can finally appreciate these moments more? Probably the latter.


"he who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words." - E. Hubbard
2 days!

Peace.