Sounds of silence

TIME-OUT!

When my kids were young, a time-out meant sitting on the “chaise bleue” and taking time to think about the behaviour that had landed them there in the first place.

It was also a time for everyone (mom included) to take a deep breath.

To step back and take stock.

To be still.

These moments of stillness are key to our wellbeing. Actually, they are essential to our being. I am not so sure my kids got that point while they were patiently waiting out their 5-minute stint on that little blue chair, but hopefully the lesson is deeply embedded in them and it will resurface whenever necessary.

Calm the noise.

Be still.

Reflect.

While the time-out was a form a punishment – a simple tool for teaching my kids right from wrong, during those formative childhood years – the value of “pressing pause” is much broader and an oh-so-useful tool to have in our belt while navigating our life’s path.

Without further ado, les filles des bois* are back at the forefront, with more lesssons learned on the trail. Their break from the hustle and bustle of city life showed them that happiness comes from a very pure and simple place. But it gave them so much more than that. This “time-out” from their regular lives also gave them space to reflect.

Who they are today?

What do they want to accomplish?

Where can they make changes?

When should they react?

Why did they make certain decisions?

How can they get to where they want to be?

This type of internal questioning is a given at 18, when that long and winding road stretches beyond the horizon. But what about at 32, 47, 55 or even 81, when the path behind you may be longer than the one ahead?

It’s imperative.

We all need a little time-out, regardless of where we are on our life’s path, so as to reassess and regroup. Sometimes the forest is so dense with foliage that the trail markers become less obvious. Before we know it, we’re off the trail and not heading in the right direction. or worse – we’re lost.

Sometimes the water is so rough that while paddling upstream, we become so focused on fighting the current that we forget to look up and make sure we’re on course. In fact, when we are just following the routine, we actually become the daily grind, so much so as to lose sight of where we are heading, how we want to get there and who we want to be.

Whether it be a week trekking in the mountains, a long walk on the beach or the quiet moment we have before the day begins – it’s in those still moments that the answers to all of life’s toughest questions seem to be the most audible. When everyrthing is still, the path ahead seems a little more defined.

Embrace the stillness. Listen to the silence.

Become the most authentic, compelling version of yourself.

It is time.

* Check out my Les filles des bois post from July 28^th 2022 to understand more about the resiliency and lessons learned by these amazing girls! https://wordpress.com/post/gritgrace.blog/739