dailynewsnblog
Wednesdays are for Whatever
Did you know that today is National Quiet Day? That’s right, a day to unplug, relax, escape all the modern noise and appreciate the sound of silence…
Dear Lord, what fresh hell is this????
Ok, maybe, just maybe this extrovert is being a tad dramatic. I mean, I like it a little quiet now and again. I can carve out some time every so often to not speak to people. I can refrain from not putting on the television. I can resist the lure of the social media scroll. I can press pause on my playlist.
They say that the benefits of a quiet day are a reduction of stress and health risks, increases mindfulness and improves mental health. I guess this makes sense. I am no expert like “they” are, but I can see what they are talking about.
And the suggestions they give for practicing “quiet day” are things I like to do. Going on a nice nature walk, journaling, doing some yoga, reading and of course meditation. Well…I personally have a problem with meditation.
Not the act of it or the idea of it. I know it is a good thing that helps a lot of people. I wish I could get into it more. But I think my brain might be a little bit bent. Like the off button is damaged. Because my mind goes 24/7.
It is a never-ending mashup of old conversations, things I have read, movie lines, things I would like or need to do and of course random songs. It’s like when you spill something on your keyboard and it goes all crazy like. That’s me.
There is a scene in the movie “Eat, Pray, Love” where Julia Robert’s character wrestled with mediation. Her mind kept going to how to decorate her meditation room instead of doing what it was supposed to be doing which was being quiet.
Can anyone else relate?
When I am lying in bed at night and try to pray, I find my brain getting off track all the time. And I am not talking about long winded prayers or a set of written prayers. I am talking about speaking to God like I am talking to you. The next thing you know I am thinking about something that happened on a youth group ski trip a million years ago or that actor I have been trying to remember from some movie will finally pop into my head.
I don’t worry about that too much though because let’s face it, God made me chatty with a brain that refuses to rest. He must like my never-ending running dialog of randomness that runs through my brain.
So today I will respect anyone who wants to celebrate Quiet Day by not interrupting their peace, but I will not worry about trying to quiet the inner workings of my own mind. I’ll just pour another cup of coffee and let the thoughts just flow.
I will play Simon and Garfunkel’s song “Sound of Silence” in solidarity though.
(p.s. this is a funny piece, I really don’t need suggestions about how to quiet my mind. And no, I do not have ADHD or anything else. Thanks though.)
***Question for the comments: Is it easy for you to quiet your mind or does it zip all over like a pinball machine like mine?
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