Regina Calton Burchett - Art in Progress

We think of silence as a void - a lack of something in a particular moment, whereas it is actually a tangible presence. And a gift.

How often do we have complete silence in our lives? If there are moments or even hours in our day with no television, no radio, no co-workers nor conversations with friends - does it make us uncomfortable? Are we bored or do we feel the need for outside stimulus?

We grew up with television and sometimes we have to break the habit of having it on. But I enjoy the peace of silence. It gives me time to collect myself. And it also helps me to truly focus on one single thing, whatever that may be. An opportunity not to multi-task.

This concept of appreciating silence also applies to speaking. In a conversation with someone else, it is very difficult not to begin formulating what you will say next, or to interject with your own similar experience. One of the subjects a friend of mine discusses when she trains Hospice volunteers is how to be a better listener - that ‘attentive listening does not involve thinking of what you are going to say next!’

It is difficult but strangely uplifting to truly listen to someone – to set your ‘self’ aside, quiet your mind, and absorb their words and feelings, allowing the other person to finish before you decide what you will reply. The speaker is given the extraordinary experience of actually being listened to, and you are taking the time to slow down your interaction with someone.

Silence is the undercurrent to our lives. We often spend too much of our time in a world of never-ending noise, thinking we can exist no other way – that we need constant input from outside sources.

Maybe it is time to give the opportunity to be heard to the quiet voice that is always within us.