“How often do I hear silence? Between the buds in the ears when I’m out and the screens that are on when I’m in, the answer is simple: hardly ever. I miss it. It’s hard to remember what it sounds like and all the possibilities it allows . . . Maybe that’s the tyranny of the smartphones and all the little screens everywhere. They help us rob ourselves of silence.”
Books signed by the author tend to end up on my bookshelf often by way of my mother. The most recent was Books for Living by Will Schwalbe. I started reading this book just a couple of weeks ago and decided to take it with me on a camping trip last weekend.
While sitting around the fire the first night, I somehow ended up wearing a headlamp to read aloud the chapter that was marked as next to read in Books for Living. The chapter was called 1984: Disconnecting. Each chapter in this book is the author’s insights on certain books that have impacted his life in some way. It was rather ironic and poignant to read words that so accurately reflect our world today and how connected we make ourselves. We are always watching, always posting, always checking in.
Being mindful of my connectivity is something I attempt regularly even though I do not always take the breaks I need to breathe in silence. Camping for the weekend was a welcomed and forced way to take that break to breathe in the silence and disconnect. Taking the time to disconnect is what is now going to allow me to reconnect.
Even through the moments of struggle, shouts, and strife there were many learning opportunities at campsite 26 at Weston Bend State Park. It was a perfectly timed retreat weekend and I am ready for the next camping adventure already. I am glad for the people willing to retreat with me and take time to appreciate the beauty of the outdoors.
