‘Shall I?’I look around me, observe my surroundings. The sun rays are climbing over the mountain, while a fresh breeze tickles the trees around me. ‘Shall I?’ Something remarkable cached my attention, hence I wonder, ‘Shall I?’ It is the sound of silence.

I am about to take off for my daily morning walk, when the world is still asleep, and only nature is actively awake. Often, I listen to music or to voice messages of friends, podcasts or spoken notes. But today, the silence sounds so peaceful and warming, that I wonder if I actually should listen to anything else but the silence. Shall I?

My headphone disappears back in my pocket. I take off my morning walk with nothing but the sound of silence. I nearly trip in a snake, and hear the birds, bugs and insects around me, singing their morning song instead. The morning is peaceful. The silence is a welcome gift in these turbulent times.

Another day when I went on a morning walk, I walked through town. The streets were empty, no traffic, not even another pedestrian. Houses and shops were still closed, so were bars and restaurants. It was me, myself, and the silence, topped off with the songs of birds, crickets and other animals alike.

Sleeping Town

I remember thinking that that must have been how it was in Europe at that time. In Australia there was no lockdown yet, few people even would have realised that Corona was knocking at their doors. But in Europe people were already for at least a week – depending on where they live – in lockdown.

Now we are in lockdown as well, my vision was right. Bars and restaurants are closed, less traffic, less pedestrians, les noise, more silence. Although there are still some people out there, doing exercises like running, or letting their dog out; it is remarkably quiet and silence.

Now, we are living in a sleeping town as well.

Lighthouse

Moreover, since I moved to this warm house in the middle of nature, I’ve started listening to the silence again. It is beautiful how rich a concert there is, how much messages you can receive, if you just become quiet and listen. I never appreciated the sound of silence as much since I am in this lockdown, and since I have moved up here.

There is so much in silence, it brings peace and appreciation for the actual moment that you are living, for the actual surroundings where you are. Silence is both your immediate gateway to the present, the reality you are at, as to your thoughts. Silence is a powerful guide. When chaos is around, and you feel lost, silence can be there as a lighthouse. Showing you where you really are. Guiding you away from the obstacles you might run into if you are not attentive and present.

Moreover, there has research been done about the impact of the sound of traffic on people’s health, from sleep quality to overall stress levels, showing a significant relation between people’s health conditions and exposure to sound. Even those people who claim to be used to the sound of the passing trains at night, were monitored and had a less deep sleep at that very moment.

Our fast running world runs on sound, yet silence is sometimes what we need most.

Let it Be

Now we all live in sleeping towns, you don’t have to get up early to encounter the world as me do during my early morning walks. Now we all live in sleeping towns, you can every moment listen to the sound of silence.

When the world arounds you sounds too crazy; when you feel like losing grip on the entire situation; when incertitude makes your head spin around; stand still, be quiet, and let the silence come to you.

Let it be your comforting lighthouse, that shines a light on your path, on your present and future while clearing up your thoughts. Listen to the sound of silence while it lasts, because one day all those cities and towns will wake up again, pushing the silence out of its borders. Let the silence silence your anxieties and uncertainties; let the silence guide you back to where you were running from; let the silence permit you just to “be”.

Where will you listen to before the town wakes up again?

This article is part of the series of Hope in Times of Corona. Read on how this times of self-isolation should not mean loneliness, on how you can contribute to this battle, on how gratitude lights up the dark, on how united we will stand strong. and on the most util strategy in awake of a crisis or on how I got blown of my feet as well, but caught by many caring hands, or on how being calm can get us through the storm. And what about Love in Times of Corona? or discovering your own talents? and why we need stories to hold on to;   And especially how you can be creative and innovative. or how to spend your mot valuable assets in times of Corona. Or wait until tomorrow, when I’ll shine another light on yet another positive corner of this dark times.