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Friday Fast #2

I have to admit that I have not been looking forward to this fast from sound from the moment I read about it. While I am an introvert, needing time to recharge by myself, I also really don’t like extended periods of silence. I often have the TV on around the house, listen to audiobooks and podcasts and amuse myself by watching videos at my desk over the lunch hour. I am going to do my best to avoid all of that today.  In fact, because we had invited some friends to go to the movies this evening, I started my fast from extraneous sounds last night. I felt a bit cheated, not getting to watch the Olympics and the US women win the gold in hockey, but really do they need another viewer? Why does missing something on TV bother me so? We don't have a DVR at home, so when I miss it I usually just end up skipping a show, but maybe I watch too much TV.  Am I way too caught up in other people’s lives and accomplishments? Do I need to watch the news every day?
What could I be doing with all that time? Feeding my mind with a book? Preparing that sermon I am preaching on Sunday? Or maybe I could do a bit of sitting and just meditating or praying and not creating a to do list. Why do we find it so hard to be alone with our thoughts? What are we afraid of?
Silent retreats have become a health trend over the last few years. What are the benefits to cutting the noise from our lives? Becoming comfortable with ourselves, quieting the mind,  being more mindful of the food we eat, gaining clarity, being more aware of what is going on around us, appreciating the sounds that are still present…voices of people walking down the street, sirens in the distance, dogs barking, the wind in the trees.

What are the challenges? Real silence requires being alone with yourself, and becoming comfortable with that solitude. This can be hard even for the most introspective among us.

Comments

  1. JudiFebruary 23, 2018 at 2:09 PM

    Today I had the opportunity to listen deeply to a colleague share her struggles with work and life in general. While we were in the middle of a great hubbub on campus at a coffee shop, the discipline of listening helped. Today as I am approaching the end of my 24 hours of not listening to TV or podcasts, I noticed at breakfast how lovely and sweet my banana was, harkening me back to having a truly fresh one off an enormous bunch while on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, which made me think of the wonderful mangos I had on my last trip to Cuba. I was thinking about what I was eating for a change, instead of food just being fuel. How often do I use sound as a distraction? At lunch I was thinking about how my troubles are so much less than my colleague's struggles. I was feeling blessed. Perhaps this silence thing has something to teach me after all. I think I have figured out the worst thing for me about fasting: the anticipation of doing without. How about you?

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    Replies
    1. Kena JoFebruary 23, 2018 at 3:58 PM

      This afternoon has been blessedly quiet at work, so I took advantage as best I could. No labs this afternoon, the lab assistant had taken the afternoon off, so it is just me. The other rare times this has happened, I would usually put on some quiet music via Pandora and get to work however, today I am trying no extra noise. I love background music, but today I found myself liking the quiet more than I though I would. I can't stop working and just sit, but as I am doing some stoichiometry calculations I am concentrating more fully on what I am doing and feel as if I am accomplishing something that is important only to me.
      No distractions, no assistants asking questions or just wanting to talk...., etc.
      I could get to look forward to doing this every Friday afternoon!
      Namaste

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