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Day 13: Silence

This morning at Mass our wise priest challenged us to take 20 or 30 minutes to just be silent.

To most people, and certainly to anyone with small children, that idea seems almost laughable. When I do get a rare quiet minute, I have a long to do list, a book I want to read, or I just zone out looking at Instagram or reading blogs. Even though I do try to take time each day to pray, I rarely take time to sit in silence and just...be.

So today when miraculously both boys were sleeping AND the dishes were done, I just sat down. 

And sat there. 

I didn't try to pray or start reading anything. It was probably only five minutes or so that I sat there, but a glorious few minutes it was. I got up and started tidying up in silence, not thinking of the 38 podcasts in my queue or turning on any music. I stood and watched my 3.75-year-old nap on the couch and thanked God for his sweetness. 

My silence probably lasted around 15 minutes. I definitely noticed a perspective shift and was able to mostly keep up the contended feeling for the rest of the afternoon. 

I may not get a 20-minute silence every day at this stage, but I'm going to shoot for at least a few minutes. 

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