Wednesday, January 24, 2024
I’m in a low period. I’m in what feels like a retreat, or what my friend Amanda calls a “quiet period.” She says it’s hard not to let the mind wind up in a quiet period. This is so true.
When nothing is going on and things die down, people get nervous and squeamish. We certainly love our highs, don’t we? When we get low, we drink coffee to sustain the highs. There are no quiet places anymore. Restaurants are booming with loud music and you practically have to shout to have a conversation. Being crazy busy seems to be a way of life – “up there” on cloud nine.
But I think your quiet periods, if you ever give yourself a chance to have one, can be where you will find access to some of your greatest treasures. Some of my friends get squeamish when things come to an end, like a school semester. Some people get depressed when everyone goes home and the activity dies down. We’re simply addicted to the highs – the highs we feel when other people are around, when there is lots of bustle, and when things are going on. Can you allow things to go off. The activity must die down.
A quiet period is time to listen. Doing nothing is the most important thing you can do. Don’t fear the quiet, lean into those times and ask yourself, “Why am I afraid when things die down, and everyone has gone home?” If there is nothing to do, sit with that. If there is nothing to say, just listen. Sit in a chair and be. Once your nerves subside and your thoughts subdue, what can you hear? Give it some time. When things die down, people go home, and the mind turns off, you’ll hear the voice of God. Why would that be so frightening?