STILLNESS

There are these rare time, places, or occasions

where time seems to stand still.

It waits for the insects' chirp to fill the void,

or the city cars to constantly rush past each other,

as if they were eagerly competing in an infinite race.

Silence waits for the slightest sign of life.

It patiently waits for the loudest crash or the faintest whisper,

and this wait seems eternal and never aging

However, in these places or during these times and occasions

any sign of life seems to refuse to reveal itself,

stalking in the dark, avoiding the exposure of the light.

It taunts silence, pushing it beyond its imaginable limitations.

It becomes a fierce battle, a clash between

the two concepts, time which is thought to be continuous and consistently flowing

and sound, which can be produced from the most insignificant movements.

Both are held to the punctual standard of being in existence, during each and every ticking minute of the day

yet in the eye of stillness, they cease to exist

and I have yet to hear even the breath of the creek.

I wrote this piece while on a camping trip with my family in Northern California. One morning, I decided to wake up earlier than usual and spend time outside reflecting on the surprising lack of noise from my surroundings. Each and every one of our lives is filled with noise. Whether this is noise experienced from family, friends, co-workers, or strangers on the street, we rarely find ourselves in "quiet" settings. Even in the most sound-proof environment one may discover, racing thoughts and ideas each have their own magnitude of sound, some with higher levels of decibels than others. My point is, you can never truly find yourself sitting in complete silence. Personally, I struggle with this on a daily basis. Though during some occasions it is necessary to have a constant flow of ideas and thoughts, especially when in collaboration with others, there are times where I find myself needing to quiet my mind, yet I am unable to. Our society pushes each of us to be in constant action. The community and learning environment I grew up in discourages rest for your mind and your body, considering rest to be a form of weakness. However, I find myself most creative when I am able to step outside of my bubble and relax my mind, surrounded by nature. In these moments I am truly able to reflect on my life's purpose and how I should be allocating my time. I challenge you to take time for yourself, away from work and social interaction, to reflect on quiet moments in your life and bring light to the importance of self-care and mental health stability.