A few weeks ago, I heard the piercing cry of a hunting hawk overhead, and the forest around me fell silent. The animals instinctively knew to hide themselves and be still. I stopped in my tracks, and became still, too.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted this sapsucker hidden among the tree branches. He remained motionless and quiet until the hawk cries faded into the distance.
I was intrigued by the experience. In those moments of stillness, the quality of silence was different than any I had ever felt before. I was completely aware of everything around me, but it seemed as if time had stopped.
I don’t know exactly what happened in those moments, but I know it was something special…it was as if I had stumbled into a secret world. A world where true silence exists. I suspect this is the space in which pure listening is possible...listening beyond my ego’s desires.
How grateful I am to have had a glimpse of uncommon silence…I long to find it again.
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