I usually wake up to the radio and have been since I was a child. This morning I awoke when the dulcet tones of The Takeaway on NY NPR affiliate WNYC, were supposed to nudge me from my slumber with a story about how the economy is tanking even more, or Al Franken was moving to NY to take the job that Hillary Clinton may abandon to be SecState – only the radio never turned on.
The alarm was set, the power was on and yet it didn’t wake me. I lay perplexed and went through various signal flow scenarios in my head and then decided to rise.
The apartment was dark and very calm. No music, no talk, no TV from the downstairs neighbors. Complete silence.
As I prepared for the day; checking email (and a surprise note from an old friend… one who crossed my dreamscape last night), looking at the calendars and planning for the day, I did something different than usual. I did not turn the radio on for a whole hour.
I sat in my window and watched the day begin for a while and contemplated on what they might bring, what work I had, and realized blessings. Those moments of solitude – ones that I had not taken in some time, allowed me to be even more ready for today.
I realized that I had been in a pattern of waking up to the radio and having it on, checking two stations until I left the house. My commutes were filled with podcasts, subway chatter and street noise. I came to work and monitor more stations across the country, TV to stay updated, internet videos, more podcasts, radio, and music. On the commute home, my ears were filled with more podcasts and music and subway noise. When I got home, one of three things was on until I went to sleep: Music, Radio or TV.
I used to use all these wonderful sounds to fill empty and painful spaces, as well as be a part of the joy of living. This morning I realized that when I have made some of the biggest choices in my life, I did them with either one sound (like the ocean or wind), or with none. Today’s silent period gave me the opportunity to work out a recomendation and be even more confident in it.
The sounds of Madison Avenue traffic fill my office, often cutting above the sounds I need for the day. Before this morning, those street noises became grating. Today, they are in their proper place.
I encourage you all to take at least 30 minutes of non-sleeping silence if you can. You will be amazed at what you can do.
