First Baptist Church of Herndon

Speechless

Linda Soller | Nov 23, 2020

I’m rarely speechless. I know you find that hard to believe, but those who know me well think of me as a talker. Today I felt speechless. It wasn’t such a bad thing really because I was working from home and had no one to talk to. But even that little conversation that often runs through my mind was absent. At first, I thought, there is enough noise out in the word right now it may be a good thing that I’m speechless. Why add to the roar of so many who just want to hear themselves talk? However, as the day progressed the quiet became somewhat uncomfortable my initial instinct was to call a friend. Alas, I lost interest in doing that. Next, I thought I could go to my deck and talk with my gang of regular birds dining on the feeder. I got out the door and, well, they didn’t seem interested and frankly I didn’t have much to say. A few cups of tea later I started to settle into my quiet space. The lack of running thoughts in my head was soothing. The quiet of my house seemed cozy. I went to check my news feed and decided I didn’t even want to read what others were saying.  I was not depressed or sad.  I was speechless. I could hear the sounds of daily life outside my window and realized there was no one yelling or complaining, just a gentle hum of activity. As the darkness enveloped my house, I realized my workday was over.  I wondered what I would say during dinner. I thought I might try just listening and stay speechless.  Now that is saying something.

The best communicators are good listeners! :o) Linda