There has been so much going on in our world the last few months.
It is like we are all standing in the shallow end of the beach, and then, unexpected roaring waves come crashing in without warning, causing us all collectively to find our balance and to try and navigate what is up from down.
All while still trying to maintain normalcy for our families and livelihoods. There is so much trauma being experienced by our entire world. More for some than others no doubt, but still impactful.
I recently read the book Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. It is one of the most simplistic yet thought provoking novels I have encountered, but it made me ponder….
Where is the quiet?
We are bombarded with chaotic images and messages on a daily basis. Our brains, hearts, and nervous systems were not meant to handle the nauseating pace of information that we are being inundated with.
In the book Hannah Coulter, Berry takes us through Hannah’s life story through her eyes. It takes place on a farm and describes the changing of life seasons through love and loss, and the beauty that makes life come alive. But the underlying theme of the book, is the importance of community and connection….something that feels so distant in our lives today….
There seems to be a thickness in the air. One that takes extra energy to move about and to breath. What makes the air more breathable is the simplicity of a good conversation, watching children play amongst fireflies, or a family gathering filled with love and laughter.
Even that has limits right now.
But what if all of this is to strip away the unnecessary. What if it is to get us back to simplicity. To yearn for the quiet again, but to learn from the noise, to bring about change so that we can ALL be able to sit in the beauty of the quiet. To feel safe. To not feel like we are struggling to push through the thick air, but that the air becomes easy for us ALL to breath.
God created air for us to breath equally. It was given to the entire human race.
Let us not forget to search for the quiet. To let ourselves get uncomfortable in the quiet. To acknowledge who we are in the quiet. To let the loneliness tell us a story…
Notice the equal breaths our bodies take in.
It is in the quiet where we are meant to learn and to notice our breath.