It was a peaceful summer night, and my family and I decided to have a campfire in our backyard. We spent the night chatting and making s'mores (lots of s'mores). As the night went on, my family started to leave the circle we'd been sitting at and went inside the house for the night. I was the last person outside, sitting around the campfire in silence.

Silence- why has this word become so unfamiliar? Nowadays, our world is full of loud city streets, busy people leading busy lives, and we're constantly being suffocated with the media and new technology presented to us every day. At times, I feel like I'm being consumed by everything chaotic going on in our world and I forget the truly important aspects of life. I've recently come to understand the need to fully accept the word silence and everything it has to offer us.

It was that night at the campfire when I realized the true beauty of silence. I had shut off my phone and blocked out every stressful thought in my mind because in that moment, the only thing that mattered was the silence I had surrounded myself with. The silence has allowed me to clear my mind and I was able to remind myself of what was actually important in my life. After an hour or two, I went to bed with a peaceful mind and woke up with a motivated heart.

I find it very rare for people to completely embrace silence. Many people find silence to be very uncomfortable or unsettling for them. For example, why is it that I feel this unannounced pressure to keep a conversation going with the person sitting next to me for the whole time we're together? What's wrong with just sitting beside each other and enjoying each other's presence in silence? I believe most people can't accept silence because we're just not used to it. I hope that after reading this, you begin to take some time every day to appreciate the beauty silence has to offer us.

I believe that life offers us so many beautiful things. Something beautiful for you may be your family member's wedding, your favorite band's concert, or sitting around the dinner table with friends and family. Now, although I've never been to your family's dinner table, I'd assume that the events I just listed are full of beautiful noise. I do believe that noise can be beautiful, but I'm writing this article to remind you how important and precious silence is. Often, the importance of silence is overlooked but that's what I'm here to remind you about. Never underestimate silence and never be afraid of it.

While shutting out the rest of the world, I've come across some beautiful and unique moments. For example, the sound of birds chirping early in the morning, the rain as it trickles down the rooftop, a soft breeze as it flows through every tree near by, and even the crackle of a campfire on a peaceful summer night. I have recently learned to fully embrace silence and I believe that it is a beautiful thing.