Harvesting Silence

I grabbed the Epoch Times with enthusiasm from a spot that is usually crowded with Metro, AM and Korean free daily papers. This publication hasn't been free since it launched last year (perhaps even two years now). I was ecstatic.

As I thumbed through on the busy 7 train while balancing a juice box of cashew fruit and my mp3 player I came across an article in the Arts section about silence. Now, for someone who has been battling with writing demons, relationship demons, moving demons, career demons, family demons, etc, etc, this story felt like a whispering voice from God.

I committed myself to the page and took Eric Shumsky's word as guidance and advice - not just commentary on how inspirational silence is in this noisy and loud world we live in.

Being so overtaken by the notion that I have to gain control back over myself again I vowed to spend all of my evening in complete silence. No radio, the phone would be off, and I wouldn't even hum. The goal was to be a quiet observer to whatever organic sounds present themselves in the evening.

Not having cooked in a while and knowing that I had an abundance of great produce in my fridge I went on to roast some cauliflower - curry style. I was entranced by the way the water rushed over each veggie and the way it really boiled in the pot. The rhythm my knife made felt more like a tribal drum as the cutting board gently rocked with each slice.

And it wasn't just the sounds I was noticing. The aromas that were lifted out of this experiment made me think more about what to add next? Ginger, red pepper, celery, carrots, lemon? They all ended up going into a bath of olive oil, spice and garlic along with the blanched cauliflower (tip from my favorite vegan, Ryan).

As I closed the oven door on the medley to roast, I retreated to my living room and unrolled the yoga mat. The positions I contorted my body into were not real positions at all, but I could hear cracking, grinding, and then an unexpected siiiiiiiigh from the relief of stress. I even made myself stop grinding my teeth and popping my jaw.

The evening continued, the food came out of the oven and cooled, I went to bed and read some "Growth of the Soil" and then fell asleep.

Read the article, it is inspirational. I think I'm back on the right track to listening to my heart and not the static of my talkative brain.