Finding the Quiet Center

The pastor at the church where I work starts off each service with a time to quiet ourselves. (He doesn't really know too much about using music to assist in the process as we usually launch off into some rip-rousing verse of a familiar song, but it's the thought, I guess.) I never really get to the quiet center part of the experience, but I like the concept.

I enjoy finding moments of quiet in the midst of a busy day.

I have a spot at work that I go to sit in when the noise and bustle of the music therapy room takes over (the A/C unit sounds like a jet engine taking off much of the time). It is in the hallway, in a window nook that faces east. The bench there just fits my leg length, and it is next to a very large plant-tree hybrid, so there is some fresh oxygen right next to the seat. I go there to sit, to think, to dream, and to be part of, yet removed from, the rest of the school.

The environment isn't that quiet, but I am able to find that quiet center there.

There is something really important about finding some quiet someplace. For me, I crave quiet. I need to spend some time sitting quietly and being away from other people. It is how I recharge my energy. Being around people takes my energy and being away from them restores it. 

Being separate from others' energy also refreshes me. I enjoy watching my clients play on the playground. I like watching them play dress-up in the Discovery Center. I enjoy being greeted and then left to work on my various projects.

 Find your center. It doesn't have to a quiet center - if loud works for you, then let it work for you! If quiet is what you need, then find a place to be quiet and be quiet. Dedicate some time during the day or night where you can empty your mind of all things music therapy and just be.

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