Stillness is vital to the world of the soul. If as you age you become more still, you will discover that stillness can be a great companion. The fragments of your life will have time to unify, and the places where your soul-shelter is wounded or broken will have time to knit and heal. You will be able to return to yourself. In this stillness, you will engage your soul. Many people miss out on themselves completely as they journey through life. They know others, they know places, they know skills, they know their work, but tragically, they do not know themselves at all. Aging can be a lovely time of ripening when you actually meet yourself, indeed maybe for the first time. There are beautiful lines from T. S. Eliot that say:

‘And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.’

—John O’Donohue, from his book Anam Cara

I was at music camp last week and for the first time I didn’t bring my laptop.  I had only a phone which meant I didn’t post to this blog and only minimally on Facebook and instead immersed myself in music and community.  This completely changed the experience for me in a wonderful way that added depth and resonance.

The older I get the more I treasure stillness and this quality of slowing down time and the world around us so that we can really settle into our selves and begin to feel comfortable there.  I hope I can remember this and continue to seek these moments of stillness and treasure them, especially in these times of great stress and global conflict.  Though the world around us may be burning, there is peace and comfort always available to us if we seek it within.

 

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