Discovering Silence

 Discovering Silence

I am a drummer. Drums are loud, not silent except perhaps in the opening few bars Ravel’s Bolero. That is almost silence.

Music has been my life all my life. There are splashes of silence throughout most musical compositions in the form of rests, but they are fleeting seconds at best.

So, what is the meaning of discovering “silence”?

In moments of trauma, of distress, of my world being upset and knocked off balance – these are times when I’ve discovered silence. There is peace and comfort in silence, if one can truly embrace that soundless oasis. And it is not for the faint of heart.

In moments of personal crisis and in peaceful seasons of calm and bliss, I’ve found myself longing for silence, desperately needing silence. Isn’t that odd of a drummer? Sound and noise are what drumming is all about.

Ah, but those moments of silence.

As I age, I find my need for silence growing with intensity. The peace and calm of silence is what I seek.  No noise, no sounds, not even Dvorak’s New World Symphony.  I simply need silence.

Silence allows us to hear the unheard, the silent voices, the whispers from a bigger, wiser source to seep through to our souls and minds. Some call this meditation, and that’s good. Some call it tuning into a higher power, and that’s good. Some call it the calm in the middle of the storm, and if that metaphor works for you then that’s good.

The world is a noisy place. Multitudes of musical tastes can be had from numerous sources if one chooses. Traffic is thick and loud in our larger cities. Jets zoom overhead, car horns blare, babies cry, dogs bark, balloons pop, doors slam, people interrupt, dishes get banged, our electronic gadgets put out an abundance of sound. Carolyn and I fall asleep to the sound of a machine that produces “white noises’, and it's all good. This “white noise” is supposed to mask my snoring, and any other sounds that seep in through our windows and walls in the night.

I suppose that is a form of discovering silence through steady sound. How ironic is that!

Ah, but the healing power of silence is magical. When we reach those moments of peaceful bliss in silent retreat, well, that is a slice of Heaven.

These silent and still moments don’t come easy, AND we make them happen. It is an on-purpose kind of experience that is sought, not bought.

We decide to have a moment in time of silence, a break from noise, and intrusions into our bombarded senses.

My friend Mitch often seeks his silent moments in nature. On Facebook, I often travel with him to some amazing, gorgeous landscapes and mountain vistas that our Pacific Northwest has to offer.

I’ve often driven to Sunset Avenue here in Edmonds just to sit and watch and listen. The Puget Sound has its own rhythm of the tides coming and going, and the Seagulls gliding and riding the currents in majestic quietness. All of this is a great source of peace and beauty.

The radio stays off. The windows are rolled up. The walkers and runners and bikers pass by with not a sound that interrupts my moment of bliss. I’ve even known moments of sleep or dozing in the middle of all this beauty. How about that? Isn’t that a perfect picture of discovering silence?

And what do I hear in the middle of these moments of silence? Oh, there is nothing audible that I come away with. But what it does for my soul and my psyche is immeasurable. Sometimes I have viewed my Sunset Avenue times as being in a ‘Sorting Hat’ machine. The ‘Sorting Hat’ comes from the Harry Potter movies and is used to place new students into one of four houses in which to live. I have been able to sort thoughts, problems, health issues and ways to allow my body to heal. I listen for the gentle nudging’s of what I call “God” in my moments of silence. And I’ve retreated into silence when writing so that I can touch a deeper part of my soul and instincts that bring to light an occasional idea in need of expansion.

Silence works for me. I often come away from these moments with a renewed energy, some new thoughts, and new and improved desires with which to serve Carolyn, my family and mankind.

I love my moments of discovering silence.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs 

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Anything Can Be

 

Anything Can Be

Shel Silverstein just rings my bell sometimes. In his whimsical, often silly ways, he brings home a truth that is simple and astounding. Such as this one.

“Listen to the musin’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. 

Listen to the shouldn’ts 

The impossibles, the won’ts. 

Listen to the never haves, Then listen close to me ... 

Anything can happen, Child. Anything can be.”

For years, too many to count, I was told I shouldn’t buy a circular saw. They said, “Why, you’ll cut your foot off.” I bought one, used it successfully for a bunch of years, and never cut off my foot. The fact is, I discovered a real love for woodworking and still have a bookcase that I made in the ninth grade.

Once, I was told while looking at a reel-to-reel tape recorder to “Leave that thing alone, boy. You don’t know nothing about machinery.”  

I owned two different reel-to-reel machines, learned to operate a dozen other recording-type machines, and now produce my own podcast using a Mac Air and iMovie. I learned you see.

What do you want to be? It could happen, you know. If you have the aptitude for it, and the desire, and a will to learn. “Anything can be”, as Shel Silverstein said.

There is one thing, though, that I’ll never be. I’ll never be a ballet dancer. First – I don’t want to be one, and second, I don’t have the physical body size and muscle strength to become a ballet dancer.

But look at what I do want to do. I want to keep writing encouraging and hope-filled blogs and books and continue producing my podcasts along the same lines. I have been doing that, and I have a strong desire to do that, and it appears I have some skill in doing those crafts.

Want to know what the best part of all of these wants and desires that reside inside each of us? We don’t need a permit. We don’t need a license in most cases. We just do it.

This short line from The Treasure of Sierra Madre speaks my point very well.

“Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges.”

You don’t have to wait for the phone to ring, the talent agent to call, or for your invitation to arrive in the mail. You just “screw your courage to the sticking place” (thank you Beauty and the Beast) and do it.

YOU DON’T NEED A PERMIT!

Some unknown person said this:

Do not wait for the perfect time and place

to enter, for you are already onstage.”

Find your spot and belt out your lines. We’ll listen, and perhaps applaud, and buy your books or music or widget.

Be courageous. Do the hard thing – that of taking the first step toward your dream. The rest will follow.

Morning Notes

P Michael Biggs 

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Where Does Your Worst Enemy Live?

 Where Does Your Worst Enemy Live?

What a great question. And one worth some thought.

This is important, so stay tuned and read all the way to the end. I found this quote tonight and it is the centerpiece for this blog.

“Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” ~Laird Hamilton

Oh my, the conversations we have with ourselves. They would be great comedy if they weren’t so true.

I’ve had running monologues with myself along these lines: 

~I can’t.

 ~I don’t know how. 

   ~ I might fail.

    ~People will laugh.
     ~It’s already been done before.

      ~I tried once and failed.
       ~I don’t want to look like a fool.

        ~She might say ‘no’.
        ~ I will lose my shirt if I invest in that.

         ~I don’t trust myself.

Well, I could continue, and by now you get the general idea.

We sabotage ourselves by what Zig Ziggler called ‘Stinkin’ Thinkin’.

Bottom line, we don’t believe. We are non-believers in ourselves and our worth.

I’ve told this story before, and again it proves beneficial. I was in my sixties before I realized I could do some things with great success and confidence.

One day, while reading Louise Hayes’ book “You Can Heal Your Life”, I read this four-word phrase.

I approve of myself.

I remember that day very clearly. I stopped reading, put the book down, and had a serious heart-to-heart with myself. For the first time in my life, I realized that I really had never believed in and approved of myself. Oh, I had had a few successes in life. I was a capable drummer, a fair singer, a good minister of music, and good at a few other career tracts I had followed, but in the course of life and in the study of P Michael Biggs, I had one major failure. I have never come to the place of approving of myself, my talents, my likes, my personality, my good side, and my own ideas.

I suppose it took me nearly an hour to cover that idea in relationship to my own life. At the end of that hour, I decided, yes, DECIDED that it was about time that I stepped up to the plate of self-esteem and self-analysis and start the process of approving of myself. I was not a bad person with a ton of secrets. No, no. I had not robbed a bank, cheated anyone, committed murder, or done anything worthy of jail time. I simply had never fully and completely believed in myself, my goodness, and my worth.

I made a laminated business-card size pocket reminder and for the next year, I suppose I pulled that card out and read it a dozen times a day. And the magic began to happen. I began to approve of myself.

I didn’t suddenly become Model Citizen of the Year, nor the best employee my employer ever had. I didn’t win the Noble Peace Price, I didn’t run for President, and I didn’t win the lottery. Carolyn didn’t like me, yeah, love me more. I doubt she even noticed the changes taking place inside of me, but I noticed. I walked with a bit more confidence. Not cockiness, not self- righteous pride, or narcissism. I just simply began approving of myself. I was quieting the voice in my head that had been plaguing me all my life. The voice of can’t, won’t, not worthy, I’m inferior.

The little kid that used to wear torn jeans and black tennis shoes was going away. You see, white tennis shoes were the fashion statement of my day, and torn jeans wouldn’t come along for another sixty years. I was beginning to believe in ME.

Just writing these words and going into this much detail is having a cathartic effect on me. I’ve never told this much of this part of my journey toward self-approval. It was indeed a marker in my life. And it made a difference.

Because of these circumstances, I realize now that my life’s mission is directly tied to those feelings of failure, and lack of confidence in myself. I want to help others find their own sense of self-worth and self-confidence, and I want to help a few people come to a place of declaring “I APPROVE OF MYSELF.”

If you have followed my blogging for the past thirteen years, you’ve read several blogs dealing with failure and how to overcome the label of “FAILURE”. The bottom line is this ... I may have failed at something, but I am not a failure.

My prayer is that this blog today will speak to someone’s heart and mind. I hope and pray you find your own ways to defeat your own worst enemy, the one living between your two ears. It takes hard work. It is not easy, and it IS necessary.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration