Maybe It’s Time to H.U.S.H

Now if you know me, like really know me, you know that I’ve played Mas in T&T (Trinidad and Tobago Carnival), clubbed in underground clubs in Paris, stayed out partying till 7am in New York and explored the hottest clubs in Atlanta. I loved “loud” in my 20s and some of my 30s.

Now, I prefer quiet. 

It’s interesting how things have changed. I enjoyed the loudness of people, food, music and being out and about but as I’ve grown older and the challenges of life seemed to multiply in size and complexity, I learned that I needed to access the quiet in order to get guidance and answers.

Most recently, I embarked on a 5 day talking fast/silent retreat and juice cleanse at my own humble abode. Life had gotten “messy”, I felt like I was going to everyone outside of myself to get the answers to which I knew really lay within.

Instead of letting my sick days at work accumulate and go unused when I was experiencing what felt like a mental health crisis, I met with my doctor and talked about taking some time to recuperate and work on being well.

The way that I tap into answers to the questions or issues that I’m dealing with is to read inspirational and spiritual books, to meditate, journal, get out in nature, move and treat my body well and to clear my body out so I can hear from within and from God.

Now, I don’t mind the quiet. For me, it’s where the answers lay.  

One of the Master Teachers, Jesus, would fast for 40 days. He would go aside to the mountains and get away from the very folks he was serving and helping so he could rejuvenate and be a clear vessel to be used.

It even reminds me of his verse, “ Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

For me, that translates to filling myself up spiritually so that I can deal with the external world.  I notice that when I don’t tap in spiritually by praying, meditating, journaling and getting quiet, I am much more prone to anxiety and feeling like the world is crumbling around me.

When I’ve fortified myself, it’s not as though the circumstances have changed, it’s that I’m better able to respond with a clear mind and spirit, from a place of calm and clarity.

I can better see the illusions for what they are, the ways in which I self-medicate through an exorbitant amount of unhealthy food, extensive social media, lack of movement in my body, toxic relationships and alcohol.

It reminds me of this documentary that I watched on the life of Siddhartha Gautama and how he was tested by beauty, pleasure, greed, violence, and desire but saw through those illusions through getting quiet to become the Buddah or Enlightened One.

These ancient stories remind me that folks have been struggling with these issues for a minute and that there is power in getting quiet so you can let your own waters settle and see to the depths where the answers lay.

Have you taken time to get quiet? 

Maybe it’s time to H.U.S.H.