Study to be Quiet

Study to be Quiet

Izaac Walton, the patron saint of all fisher women and men said those words. The words are on a stained glass window in Winchester Cathedral in England.  Some of you may have been there.  I read them in a book by Sigurd Olson, a writer about the out of doors. 

When he writes about fly fishing on northern Minnesota streams the reader feels like being quiet as in a cathedral church.  Actually being in a pine forest has the same effect for me. Or standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Places that remind a person of the vastness of the creation create respect and awe. 

It does take learning to be quiet. We are trained to be busy so easily fall into boredom. Talk radio and endless TV shows train us to get on to the next thing. Our bodies are eager for more stimulation.

I have been studying to be quiet and have found that I am a hard case. Meditation has been part of my background but the culture and my natural tendencies conspire to turn me away from a serene life style. in past years I walked out in the natural world which calmed me and provided quiet. It was like being in a vast classroom under the open sky and the weather. Then came a stroke and limits were imposed. 

So what am I doing now to reclaim the classroom for learning to be Quiet?

1. Writing about this state of affairs. This essay is a step

2. Listen to the sounds of weather.

3. Watch the weather. Use aids like Windy.com

4. Be patient