[silence]

...

Were you hoping to read something meaningful?

Well, you did.

There is significance in silence.

I have an entry in my old high school journal.

I wrote it as a passenger on a bright yellow school bus. You can imagine the noise and the general juvenile insanity happening around me.

But you'd be wrong.

This bus was quiet. Bizarrely so.

I would have reached for my phone for consolation, but I did not have one.

The silence made me uneasy.

So instead, I wrote:

How often are we actually silent? What's its appeal? Quiet can be empty or full of anticipation. Quiet can be endearing or unsettling. Sometimes silences are awkward, other times they are insightful. It's safe to say that silence is important. It's who you are when you're not dependent on outside voices and sounds to distract you. It's who you are when you have only your own thoughts to entertain yourself. I don't mind being quiet, but I've forgotten its appeal. It's good that I no longer have a phone by my side every moment and I have introverted friends that appreciate empty air. Silence is a lost art. The best silences are actually full. It's time to think through what you actually want to say so words won't be wasted. It's time to define who you are. I think I am a person who could use a little more silence.

During the bus ride, students kept to themselves, the bus driver was silent, everyone watched the road through the window or stared straight ahead. Afterwards, the regulars told me that the route was always like that.

The quiet was uncomfortable for me because it was a break from the norm. I was used to bus rides being noisy, exciting, obnoxious commutes.

As soon as we finish work or are alone, we reach for our phones. We turn on music. If there's a lull in conversation, it's awkward. When asked a question, we cannot take too long to reply, so we stall for time with uhhhhs and ummms.

We are used to filling in the silence.

On a camping trip it is easy to seek out silence and celebrate it. It may be an adjustment at first but it is an enjoyable one, being unplugged from technology and immersed in nature. Silence is beautiful when we are staring at the stars, traipsing through the woods, or lounging by the lake.

But what about when you return to real life? In real world situations, silence often equates to discomfort, awkwardness, or being boring.

It is those in between times that silence is especially important. Not just for introverts, but for everyone.

Ideas are fostered and identities are formed in our own brains. It does not matter if we are waiting for the train or sitting in silence during a lull in conversation. We can reserve certain times for silence, but we should also be consistently engaging in it.

The next time there is nothing more to be said, do not reach for your phone.

Listen, observe, think.

Fill the empty silence with the valuable kind.