Our Sunday School class is studying the Spiritual Disciplines.  The first one we talked about last week was silence and solitude–and no, we did not spend the time alone and silent. First, our leader talked about WHY we need both. Here is one (of several) interesting quotes that were shared:

"Let him who cannot be alone beware of community…Let him who is not in community beware of being alone…Each by itself has profound pitfalls and perils. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair.
                      –Bonhoeffer, Life Together

Then we broke into groups to discuss a variety of points as well as some traditional & creative ways to practice both. Monday I was aware of creative ways I seek solitude (though not necessarily silence) throughout the day.

  • Working out (I need to play upbeat music to keep myself going, but do enjoy the time in the office weight room by myself)
  • In the shower
  • Eating breakfast or lunch (I don't do well eating with the kids. I'll sit at the table and talk with them/read the paper, but I tend to get short tempered with all the requests that require me to get up/down and leave my food. By the time I end up eating, my food is cold. So I do better to get them fed and in an activity or nap, and then enjoy my food.)
  • Nap time/Rest time (I work during this time)
  • When I vacuum (Both boys are scared of it, so they go in their room and with the machine going I can't hear Alex crying about being stuck in the room or about the noise. And with the messes Alex makes, this SHOULD happen every day in the dining room.)
  • At the chiropractor (This is a new addition to my weekly schedule. James and I started going because after meeting our insurance deductable for Alex's treatments, we can now go for free.  I'm now going 3xs a week because my back "is all messed up"–according to the Dr. And this gives me 10-15 minutes of lying face down on a table.)

Now that I've identified times of solitude in my life, I need to work on the silence and what I do with it. I'm sure it is not meant to plan what I'm going to do during the day, what we should have for supper, or any of the other silly things that keep my mind occupied.

"In silence we close off our souls to 'sounds'. Silences goes beyond solitude. Silence is frightening because it strips us as nothing else does, throwing us upon the stark realitites of our life. It reminds us of death…and leaves us only with God.–Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines