“Silence is like a river of grace inviting us to leap unafraid into its beckoning depths.
It is dark and mysterious in the waters of grace.
Yet in the silent darkness we are given new eyes.
In the heart of the divine we can see more clearly who we are.
We are renewed and cleansed in this river of silence.”
MACRINA WIEDERKEHR, Seven Sacred Pause
Have you ever spent an entire 24 hours without speaking a single word? I involuntarily spent 76 hours with my mouth on mute recently, because I lost my voice.
It is dark and mysterious in the waters of grace.
And I panicked when I was first submerged in those waters. As a coach and trainer, I make my living with my voice. I panicked because I had some big projects coming up. This was just not a good time for me to be sick, much less for me to be mute. I frantically emailed and texted away to prepare for the very likely possibility that I would still have no voice. Once I rescheduled what I could and made all the necessary contingency plans, I relaxed.
Yet in the silent darkness we are given new eyes.
Truth be told, I tend to lose my voice at least twice a year, so this wasn’t the first time. But, this was the first time that I examined my silence with new eyes. When you can’t talk to people, communication becomes very animated and complicated. You will rely on other forms of communication to get your ideas across. I used sign language (what little I know), pad and paper, the memo app on my smartphone, facial expressions, and hand gestures, all to keep in touch with everyone.
I tried to proceed as if nothing had changed, but it had drastically changed. I had no vocal ability. They say the worst thing you can do when you lose your voice is whisper. Whispering puts more strain on already inflamed vocal cords. The only solution is to rest. Since the cause of my problem was viral, there was no medicine to take. I just had to wait.
I challenge you so spend an entire 24 hours without speaking and notice what happens. Are you ready to see more clearly who you are?
In the heart of the divine we can see more clearly who we are.
Here are 3 things you will learn when you shut up for a day.
1. You Learn to Choose Your Words
When you have no voice, the way you choose to communicate with others takes a LOT more effort, for you and those around you. I had to decide if I wanted to put the effort into writing the note just to commentate on the latest television episode. I had to figure out how to get my kids’ attention when they were loud. Do you realize how many words we waste just saying things because we can? We all know that we shouldn’t say everything that pops in our heads, but when you can’t speak, you are then forced to be more choose-y.
2. You Learn the Art of Observation
They say when you lose one of your senses, your other senses become hypersensitive to compensate. When I lost my voice and decided not to participate in the conversations around me, I could observe better. I could see the micro-expressions on my son’s face when he talked about his new golf clubs. I could hear the rhythm in the playful banter between my husband and my mom as they talked sports. I wasn’t excluded, but I learned that too often I make myself the center of attention consciously or unconsciously.
You don’t have to add your story to the stories being told. Let someone else talk and then enjoy what they have to say or how they say it.
I was like a fly on the wall watching the dynamics of my family all around me, and you know what? It was very cool.
We are renewed and cleansed in this river of silence.
3. You Learn to Face Those Deep Thoughts You’ve Been Avoiding
If you spend a day without talking, I encourage you to spend some time in quiet as well. In silence and quiet, all you have are your thoughts. The thoughts that we tend to run away from when our mouths are too busy running. The thoughts that we chase away with music or TV or social media. Being in silence is the only way to learn to handle those thoughts you are afraid of. You can run from them, or you can begin to renew you mind, form strategies, and make healthy decision because you actually had the time to do so.
Thanks to a home remedy, my voice came back sooner than I anticipated and I was able to participate in all my projects. The experience left me grateful for my time in quiet, as I had many takeaways from this time. How do you think silence will leave you?
Will accept my challenge to spend an entire 24hrs without talking? Please leave your comment below.