Silence...

I love audiobooks. I've been a member at Audible since one of my best friends got me hooked early in 2009. I have hundreds of books. This means that I listen a lot! When I'm not listening to a book, then it's music or even the TV. 


I live alone but there seems to always be something making noise.  Why is that, I wonder?  I find myself listening to a book and checking my email at the same time.  I play instrumental music when I'm reading a book.  Why do I insist on so much audio/video stimulation?

Whether we like it or not, the commercial Christmas season is here.  We are inundated with all manner of visual stimulation. Lights adorn houses, streets, trees and we even create huge spectacles of lights as drive-thru attractions.  Wherever we go, chances are we will hear Christmas music playing in the store, restaurant or even the hair care salon.

Facebook is inundating everyone with "click bait" and it seems to be getting worse.  Click bait can be easily identified by phrases like "you won't believe what happened" or "a diet secret the doctor's don't want you to know about."  The sensational headlines entice you click to see "what happened" or read that "diet secret" and yet, when you do, you get very little outside of pop up videos and advertisements.  There are the flashing ads down the right side of the screen, misleading graphics that suggest a video but only lead you to another advertising website.  It's click bait because every time one of those advertisements gets "seen", someone gets paid.

Where is the silence?  Where do stop all the incoming information and just sit quietly with no noise and perhaps a simple candle for light?  I've gotten so used to the flood of stimulation that it takes a specific effort of will to simply stop and turn off all the stuff and just be.

Be still and know that I am God.  The hardest part of that is the "be still" part.  I challenge you to an hour of stillness each day.  If you can't be completely without stimulation, start slowly.  Turn off the radio in the car.  Leave the TV off and play instrumental music instead. Listen to an audiobook with your eyes closed.  Start by limiting your amount of stimulation to one source at a time.

Good Luck!