Stillness

The quieter you become the more you are able to hear -Rumi

When I was 4 or 5 years old, I was very quiet.  I was so quiet that my parents wanted to take me to a specialist to figure out why I wouldn’t talk.  Some said I was shy, but I never thought of myself as shy.  For me, being quiet was a choice. I chose to be quiet because I instinctively knew I could not improve on silence. That listening was a form of love not only for myself but for others. I could learn more by listening than by talking.  

I am no longer that quiet child. I have learned the value of sharing my story,  but I also know that my initial instincts were not wrong, and for me, the gift is in my use of discretion.  With that, I share this short poem inspired by the words of the great poet Rumi.

Stillness

Dance is born in stillness

Music is born in silence

Sometimes stillness is the best movement

Sometimes silence is the best music

Be quiet to hear

Be still to dance

Sometimes the most you can do to help is to listen

Sometimes the most you can do to help is to hold space.

And that is enough