Silence is....Strange. But then Good.

I just finished "silent breakfast" at Kripalu. At first, walking in, I thought..."well this is nice, this won't be hard at all." And then after sitting for a minute, it begins to dawn on you how SILENT it really is. Do you make eye contact if you can't say hello? Do you play with your silverware? Do you read? After looking around I realized I was the only one trying to distract myself with reading. Everyone else was just...being.

There was this little girl just staring at everyone in wonder. So many people in one room, not talking. It is affecting. Why is being silent so strange for us? What do we pay attention to if we're not distracting ourselves? Ourselves? Gasp!

There is a saying on Facebook lately...not sure where it came from but it goes like this...

Stop the Glorification of Being Busy.

It Is What It Is.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

This is my favorite stanza from the conversation between the Walrus and the Carpenter in the poem by the same name written by Lewis Carroll. I think it's because it has nothing to do with eating the poor baby oysters. Although, truth be told, I enjoy eating some baby oysters myself sometimes. 

I simply LOVE Lewis Carroll. He's one of my absolute favorites. Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite books and I have it in a collector's edition that I adore. 

I include the section of the poem below as a commentary on us human beings who never seem to be satisfied. Life is beautiful in it's simplicity. Accepting what is...is such a major joy in life when one masters it. I have become so much better at accepting what is, however, I am no master. Today I got irritated at my living situation. It's not forever but it does pose it's challenges at times and I caught myself grunting at no one. Grunting at the room. The room did nothing. It's really funny when you think about it like that. What can the room do?? It is what it is...Please enjoy the following excerpt following those same lines, from The Walrus and The Carpenter.

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.


:) 

Namaste~

e