Quiet Becoming

The Silence Between Destinations

When movement stops, and something quieter begins inside

Photo by Avin CP on Unsplash

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In a person’s life, there are times when he/she is not in this world, not in the other world! You are not that you were; you are not yet that you are. It seems like you are in a remote location and nowhere at all. It’s a quiet, but not empty, area. It has a peculiar weight, as when waiting for an undisclosed train.

It’s generally our mindset to think that life is all about arriving. Reaching goals. Finishing plans. The journey of going to the next job, the next city, the next YOU. We don’t talk about the pause that much, however, in between. Where there’s no moving on the outside, but lots of moving going on on the inside.

Those times, when the silence seems greater than normal. Not the quiet sort, but the one that draws attention to the mind’s voice, rather than its absence. You start to ask questions about little things. But am I on the right way? What has happened to everything to make things so precarious these days? I don’t feel the same anymore!

Perhaps that’s what change is when it is happening in secret.

There isn’t a map from one destination to another. There are no ways to measure progress that are obvious. No end to the day — no applause at the end. So long as time goes, you go along with it, not knowing where you’re going.

It might be awkward at times because we are taught that clarity is important to us. To always have an idea of what to do next. However, life is not always so regimented. Sometimes it takes away the certainty in the process of something more to emerge.

I have seen that in these “between” times, things become significant once again. The way in which light enters a room in the morning. footsteps on a deserted street. A straightforward and nonjudgmental discussion, without attempting to solve a problem. These data serve as anchors in a direction that is not clear.

It’s also one of those things when you don’t know. It eliminates the need for pretending. Unclearly, you cease to do your work. No longer push for answers. During that moment of silence you know more about yourself than ever, although what you know is not yet completed.

There are no empty spaces or “white-outs” between destinations. It’s a process that has not yet come into form. As with any transition, it is a time of patience and not control.

Don’t try to hurry to fill it. It’s not necessary to use it immediately to do something productive. At times, the most crucial thing is to wait long enough to see what it’s looking to alter in you.

Eventually, movement returns. The direction is re-established. The choice isn’t as heavy. However, it is when the silence comes that you notice a subtle change that has taken place.

You take that change with you, even though maybe you can’t come up with a definitive answer on when it started.

[embed]Rajesh Poovathum Kadavil - Medium Read writing from Rajesh Poovathum Kadavil on Medium. Rajesh Poovathumkadavil is an Indian-born content writer with a…medium.com