The Comfort of Silence

Some people imagine that silence isn’t good; that its too unnerving, uncomfortable even.
They’re unsettled by a lack of words and I simply smile and nod upon hearing such opinions, because though they may disagree,
Silence is my best friend, other than my real friends, of course, and silence itself speaks volumes.
Don’t get me wrong, a good discussion, a good tease or a good laugh are all soup for the soul,
But to me, silence says just as much.
A comfortable silence, a rare find, is the most calming sound in the world
It reminds me of warm blankets and a cup of tea on a quiet morning, while the world sleeps.
Somehow, silence has a way of bringing things into perspective, of being able to steer you into seeing someone in a new light,
One that doesn’t involve an endless string of syllables looped together to fill space and serve no further purpose
Because if anything is the opposite of silence, it would be the unnecessary chatter that most of us carry out in our lives, as if the lack of them would bring all of existence to a dramatic end.
And oddly enough, that unnerves me more than silence.
But to know what it feels like to share a quiet moment with someone is an inexplicable feeling,
And it almost always brings back memories of good times, recollections of stories told repeatedly and flawlessly, for their beauty and their ability to fill rooms with acknowledging smiles.
Such silences, often broken slowly and softly, with a precluding soft inhale, as if bracing for something truly breathtaking,
A comfortable silence holds within it a beauty unbeknownst to anyone but those actively sharing it.
The emotions it evokes, so pure, so beautiful, connecting each other at a very basic level of beauty
Like a perfect starry  sky over an uncontained ocean, with waves softly washing  and edging seashells towards bare feet, as if luring us in to its blue-green depths where the water itself blocks out the drivel of the world and forces us to look past sound to the treasures beyond;
Like view of earth so primal, so awe-inspiring, that it takes your breath away to see, as if we couldn’t imaging nature doing such a great job without our help;
Like the smile on the face of a sleepy baby, unaware of the world, or words, or the politics of human interaction...
 Like a truly peace-filled face in a swarm of adults who search frantically for, but can’t seem to find it.
Silence is like a quiet moment in the rain, with arms stretched out to the skies, welcoming the  downpour in to drench and wipe the world clean;
A quiet moment on waking up at home, in your bed, when you know that at least for now, the world and your loved ones around you are safe, and at peace;
Like the comfort of your grandparent’s soft and frail hand in yours; of knowing that just as they try to protect you from the world, you protect them from themselves and the toll that a full life has taken on them .
There seems to be some many things said in silence that it seems to be its own kind of noise.
So many words that somehow got forgotten to be passed on to grandchildren and now fills silences with whispers of their memories and tragedies; their crows feet, laugh lines, sun beaten skin, worn down ankles and furrowed brows telling them instead;
Somehow in silence, it all seems to come together in a way that, interestingly enough, cannot not be put into words.
Silence breaks barriers as well.
It marches past languages and laughs at disparity and helps us comprehend the value of human expression and emotion
It allows us to read faces before they speak, to see past the surface to the troubles beneath,
It shows us how futile words can be to express our inner turmoil,
How seeing into the eyes of a friend can tell us much more than their walls or humor or laughter or tears can.
And sometimes silence is a comforting mask, blurring the answers to unanswered questions and  transforming unspoken answers into a feeling, comforting to the person who probably didn’t want to know the answer to begin with; scared of an honest answer, of worst fears confirmed and thus materializing the inescapable and constant guilt list we write for ourselves in our heads.
And a silence broken perfectly is a masterpiece; it adds to its own beauty and teaches you to welcome it.
Though some regret to embrace it, afraid it means something bad, blissfully unaware of the peace you can get from a simple memory recollected that inspires a soft smile that touches your heart.
Silence is in our essence, part of our nature and part of us.

4/24/2011