“The silence was deafening.”

How often have we heard that?

How often do we experience it?

How often do we allow ourselves to experience it?

Is silence something we welcome?

Or, in these days of never-ending connectivity, is it something we subconsciously fear?

Relishing the silence

Pre-COVID-19 and while on holiday in Mallorca, Spain I did what any good tourist is expected to do. I took in the sights, tasted the local cuisine, explored the wineries and small, quaint villages. But the times I relished most were the early mornings or late evenings back at the chalet, high up in the mountains. The summer heat had not yet penetrated every nook and cranny, or a slight breeze was helping to cool things off in the later hours.

It was quiet. So quiet, I could hear the ringing in my ears. So quiet, the sounds of nature started to grab my attention. A pine cone losing its grip from one of the surrounding evergreens. The wind winding its way through the tree tops. A bird disturbing the small stones on the gravel pathway. The orchestra of cicadas. The crunch of dry brush as one of the local goats (a caza) meanders by, stopping briefly to sample what nature is offering.

With no neighbours nearby, we were invited to play our music as loud as we like. But we seemed to unwittingly make a silent agreement among ourselves that we wouldn’t.

Going off the grid

With all the cacophony of daily life these days, how many of us feel comfortable going off the grid anymore? And what does going off the grid mean anyway? The chalet I stayed at operates off of solar power – with a backup generator when needed. There was Wi-Fi and phone service. In this day of hyper connectivity, are we truly prepared to let go of any connection to the outside world, or do we convince ourselves that Wi-Fi and phones are vital in the event of an emergency?

I have never been the kind of person who needs to be attached to a phone/device. I don’t wake up in the morning and check my messages before I’m even out of bed. In fact, I don’t even keep the phone in the bedroom overnight. And nope, have never had a television in my bedroom and never will.

I think what it comes down to is finding that balance. Technology has entered our lives. It’s here to stay and that has never been more evident than this past year. But carving out that time every day to make sure we disconnect and rejuvenate our souls and just reconnect with what truly feeds us – I would argue it’s not something that can be found through a television screen, laptop, I-pad, or cell phone.