SILENCE!!!!!! I love silence.

SILENCE!!!!!!

I love silence. Deep, thick, penetrating silence. Silence is a beautiful thing. I need to remember this. There is never silence here - more like a cacaphony of yelling, television, phones ringing,talking, microwave binging, washing machine running. The only time I hear any form of silence is late at night, if I'm lucky and no one's asthma is acting up. Some people, though, have too much silence, and don't want anymore. It's human nature that we aren't happy with what we have and always want something different, I guess.

Silence seems to make people uncomfortable. Ever try getting into an elevator with a friend, someone you are having a conversation with? The silence of the elevator quickly becomes oppressive and the conversation dies out. On Sunday, after the homily the priest gave, he sat down, as normal. There is usually about a minute before he stands back up to pray the Creed, in order to give us time to reflect. His reflection time, though, stretched on, uncomfortably so. People began to shift around, cough, and the tension level became noticeable.

Why were we so uncomfortable? I think it's today's society - we have to be go-go-go all the time. Sitting and being silent seems to equal being lazy, or boring, and unimportant. I really have a hard time with this. I love to talk. Even if no one is home, I talk out loud to myself. I play music and sing along. It's not a character flaw, though, to sit still and quiet. To reflect on things - think about your actions and reactions, your problems and struggles. Just to be one with yourself. To meditate and spend time with God. Not only is it not a flaw, it's vital to your mental, spiritual, and emotional health.

I know this time will pass all too fast and soon I'll be lamenting the lack of noise in the house. But, heavens, it sure would be nice to enjoy some of that silence right now!