Evening Silence
I’m sitting here trying really hard to think of something even remotely interesting to write about tonight.
I’ve turned off the tv much earlier than usual (or at least, earlier than I used to), as I’ve done every evening since beginning the 1111 Devotion project, because it’s just way too distracting to have it on while I’m trying to write and thus the only way I’ll get the job done.
I must admit: I love listening to the silence, especially the silence that descends upon a room immediately upon clicking the tv into oblivion. It never fails to soothe me, no matter what I’m doing in the moment. And just like now, I wonder why I don’t seek evening silence out more often.
I’m calling it evening silence because I don’t seem to ever be tempted to turn the tv on during the day. Of course, a lot of times I’m not in a position to turn one on during the day. I’m not bringing this up as any ‘badge of honor’ sort of thing. It’s just a fact that I only rarely become aware of – but am appreciating much more often as a result of engaging my commitment.
Appreciation: A By-Product of My Act of Power
I guess you could say this appreciation of the evening silence is an unexpected but delightful by-product of this Act of Power. And in a way, it is a means of garnering power.
Even if I might be otherwise watching a program that edifies me in some way, I don’t think I get as much out of it, quite honestly, as I do the silence. Because if I lapse into the normal routine I was in prior to making this commitment, I would retire upstairs as soon as I turned off the tv. I might read my book for a few minutes, but in truth, my actual presence in and appreciation of the evening silence was minimal.
I find myself thinking back on when our sons were growing up, especially the two older ones, Karl and Maximus. Back when Karl was in elementary school, we didn’t get cable at first. We were limited to the three channels (3, 6, and 10) of the major networks, and maybe some UHF channels. Granted, that didn’t last long. But I know it made a difference in the way we spent our time.
Indeed, I sometimes wonder – especially lately – whether that is not a significant liability to my efforts to write the sequel to Owl Medicinehttps://amzn.to/2M6st6B. I’ve become addicted to the political news shows, especially. In some ways, I feel it is my civic responsibility to remain aware and informed. And goodness knows, it becomes harder and harder to peel our eyes away from the latest ‘news.’
But really, I have to ask myself: Is it worth my time? Wouldn’t I rather be spending time in the evening silence, immersed in one of my beloved books? Or writing one of my own?
Yeah, I think I would.
(T-1085)
Evening silence is deeper outdoors on a cold winters night.The crispness of the air, the stillness of the daytime creatures now hunkered down in their dens and nests, the lack of human activity that you’d normally find in other seasons. Evening silence on cold winter nights has depth and clarity. If you’re lucky it may be briefly shattered by the hoot of an owl, amplified by the still night air.
We “cut the cable” a few weeks ago after a half century of it bringing world events and a lot of clutter into our lives. A subscription to HULU Live, I thought, would be sufficient to catch up on those same news shows that had been my nightly routine, my therapy, my solace over the past 24 months. When I found the data usage soaring while streaming these shows I had to reevaluate the necessity of them at this point in my life. Now an antenna sits in my attic and even from here in the hills of NEPA we can clearly get the “Allentown” and the “Scranton” and 2 different PBS stations … for free. We find ourselves more focused on what we are watching and turning the television off when we are not. It’s a richer life. There is always the internet or my HULU live subscription should the shoe drop on this nations travesty. I have friends on the internet who have promised to “sound the alarm”, though I jokingly suggest there may be more fireworks going off in celebration than on the 4th of July and that should suffice to alert me that something important has happened.
We transition, we evolve, even over short periods of time. I no longer need what I did 24 months ago, yet I’m just as firm and resolute in my opposition to the political and social injustices that we face today. I’m aware that access to cable and these news show has served as a spotlight, bringing the crimes and greed of our leaders to the worlds attention, fueling the resistance. The press, yes even cable news, has been indispensable to our democracy, especially in these day. I just don’t need it anymore. Now the silence of a brief night walk takes it place.
Your words touch me, Ann. Thank you. They resonate and illuminate.
And I imagine the silence of these nights is also bringing you other messages as well – of peace and resolution, comfort and deep love.
I can’t wait for those fireworks.
I think about this a lot. I watch too much TV-especially at night. When my husband and I were first married we didn’t own a TV.
The idea of “evening silence” appeals to me. How wonderful that you are using this time to write Lisa.
I honestly didn’t put it all together until last night, that I REQUIRE silence to write. And how much I crave it.
Yes, evening silence is very much appreciated. I only listen to NPR on my way home from work on the radio, leaving the evening for other activities, quiet time without a TV.
Well-disciplined you are, Jean! I have yet to get to an entire evening, every evening, of silence. Perhaps an aspiration for 2019.