come to my quietness
I shall cover you with it, like
a white sheet that has blown all day in
the sun, like a mountain lake
filled with spring, it shall slip over you.
— Diane di Prima
One Little Word
My One Little Word of 2013 was Pace. It would be the first time I chose a word to represent my year and I was excited to have a focus. I was excited to pace myself in all aspects of my life and the word just seemed right. I had big plans. I even went out and got special paper, a three-ring binder, some beautiful cardstock. I was going to scrapbook my word and make it official. So, was it the right word for me? I’ll never know because LIFE happened and my word went right out the door. I didn’t blog about it. I didn’t reflect on the word. I didn’t think about how it applied to my LIFE.
What are my plans for this year? Retire Pace and move on to a new word. Try again. Breathe new life into a word that I can try to live by. My new word for 2014? Silence. My goal? To silence my mind and listen to my heart. I thought about this a lot. I realize that my mind is always going, a million miles a minute. I know you can relate to this. My hope is that 2014 brings me some silence. This is nothing against noise. I have a lot of good noise in my life. Noisy children. A noisy classroom. But sometimes there is just too much noise and I need to find moments of silence to reflect. Here is my canvas of silence and the way I see it applying to me in 2014.
“Let silence be the art you practice” –Rumi
Pine in the breeze
Leaf from a tree
Wind in my hair
Light in the air
Silence lingers
~Betsy
All things grow and move in silence. The earth around the sun. The dandelion seed blowing. The glow of the moon. It all happens in silence; amazing things. I hope that some amazing things can happen for me when I am able to focus on finding silence and truly listen. Listen to the needs of others around me. Hear my heart and what I need to be truly filled with love and fulfillment. If I can find silence I can find peace in my mind and my heart as I enter a new year, 2014.
“Behind all creation is silence. Silence is the essential condition, the vital ingredient for all creation and all that is created. It is power in its own right. The artist starts with a blank canvas – silence. The composer places it between and behind notes. The very ground of your being, out of which comes all your thoughts is silence.” -Theresa Lasichak
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I loved the visuals and quote. I’m a fellow believer in silence!
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I really liked your how you started with pace and then moved to silence, somewhat similar words that relate to calmness in a way. I agree we all need the self time, hard to get these days.
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In college, I wrote a paper using “The Sounds of Silence”. Wish I still had it. Thanks, Betsy, for reminding us the the space between the sounds and noises are as important as the sounds themselves.
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I love this, Betsy. Your words feel so calming to me. I love how I’m taking a little bit of everyone else’s words, in addition to my own word, and internalizing them. I need some silence in my life, too.
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Love the line – all things grow and move in silence. It is a great word – thank you for sharing.
Clare
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Lovely post Betsy! I am enjoying a silent moment feeding Tommy, away from the noise of a very loud wedding I’m attending. It’s pure bliss. Your post makes me feel I have permission to enjoy this lovely moment instead of rushing off to rejoin the fray. Thank you for that.
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Such a lovely combination of thoughts, pictures and poems. I hope too that amazing things will happen for you with or without the help of your OLW.
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Excellent choice for your OLW! Most days I wake up to my own children, spend all day with my students and then go home to my children…I HIGHLY value silence! It’s refreshing, renewing and so great to be able to listen to your heart instead of your head. I love your artwork as well…so fitting of both you and your OLW. Best wishes for a year of greatness!
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I, like Stacey, am sensing a theme with many of our OLW’s. The younger educators in my circle of friends are all about slowing down, balance, being more grounded. They have children. Families and work to figure out. I am enjoying hearing everyone’s olw and the back stories.
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“To silence my mind and listen to my heart. ”
This is so powerful, Betsy. I don’t think we give ourselves permission to do this, really – so often, noise wins. Thank you for sharing your word, your journey to it, and your lovely poem to illustrate its spirit.
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Love your words, your drawings, the photo, Betsy. All show such reflection this week. I hope you can find time to continue this reflection with your OLW. Looking forward to more!
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I always loved that early morning time before anyone else in the house is up, when everything is silent. It’s a great time to just think, meditate, or sometimes pray.
Your poem is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
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In Buddhist practice you meditate to silence the monkey mind’s constant chattering. The silence leads to greater clarity. Maybe you might want to add time in your day for meditation. Wishing you a year filled with many moments of silence.
Bernadette
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Your word, silence, and Tara’s word, pause, seem to reflect something important… something all of us need in our lives. I hope you find the silence you’re looking for this year. So much good can come out of silence, can’t it?
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