“Easy silence that you make for me
It’s okay when there’s nothing more to say to me
And the peaceful quiet you create for me
And the way you keep the world at bay for me” -Dixie Chicks
I’m a talker by nature (surprise, surprise). While silence is often golden, I can’t stand to sit with another human being in complete silence. I have found that there are two kinds of silence. The first is uneasy silence. This happens sitting next to a stranger on an airplane, crowded elevators, being a hotel room alone, standing on a stage and having your power point presentation crash on you. Those are uneasy moments and the silence is awful.
There are also those times when silence can be easy. Easy silence, for me, is when I can reflect on what I just read, heard, saw, or did. Prayer is easy silence. Worship can be easy silence. Being with my wife is another place of easy silence. Maybe that’s why I connected with the lyric above. I was intrigued by the line about creating a peaceful quiet for someone and keeping the world at bay for someone. I found myself thinking of home. My wife and my kids (yes, I said kids) create that peaceful quiet for me. They also “keep the world at bay” for me. No matter where I’ve been, whats on my shoulders and mind, they are where I find an “easy silence”.
I am challenged with if I provide the same for them. Do I create a silence that provides comfort? Do I keep the world and it’s troubles at bay for them? Is our home a place of refuge and easy silence?
How about you? Where is your “easy silence” and who keeps “the world at bay for you”?
