#164: Silence

"Life is so loud."

I said this to Kegan earlier today. I really wanted to go for a "hike", and since this was my "Cat Mother's Day" I was able to call the shots this afternoon.

Any serious hiker would likely call my my version of a "hike" a "walk in the woods", which is why I put it in quotations. Kegan and I spent some time walking down the towpath of the D & R canal, and our turn around point was a spillway, right before which there was a bench. Before we headed back we sat for a short time on the bench, not speaking, just taking in the peace of the silence around us. We both made moves to head back, but persisted on sitting for just a bit longer. It was when Kegan made the definitive decision that it was time to head back that I turned to him and said, "Life is so loud." He, in his ever understanding ways, knew exactly what I meant, simply nodded, and we turned to head back down to the canal to the car to continue on with our day.

Whether it's because of the environmental noise that always surrounds us, the constant hum of always being connected, or the resounding of one's own thoughts, true quiet is rare. I'm thankful for moments like today when I am able, even briefly, to be lost in silence. It's profoundly loud.