The quality of silence. No two silences are the same.

Silence…you may not get much of it.

You may wish for more of it in your life; or you may try and avoid it, some do.

But do you notice its quality?

No two silences are the same, of course, any more than two clouds can be the same.

So today we become aware of the quality of our silence.

Perhaps we’re in a hurry to be somewhere or want something to happen and our silence is impatient.

Or maybe our silence is defensive and self-justifying, quietly judging people around us.

Perhaps it’s an anxious silence, a loop of worry going round and round in our head.

Or an angry silence, turbulent like the restless sea; or a numb silence, unable to feel meaning.

Or perhaps it’s a still silence, full of beauty and possibility, like the dewy grass at the beginning of the day.

Or a grateful silence, a wordless ‘Thank you’ for life.

As we listen to our breathing, the quality of our silence becomes apparent.

And the silence determines the quality of our noise.