The Power of Quiet

   Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to go on a girl's trip with all but one of my four sisters, my mom, and a friend. We headed down to St. George to find some sun, hike, and do whatever fit our fancy for the weekend.
   I put off getting packed to go until almost the last minute. I wasn't sure about taking the time from home. I had things I needed to do and I felt guilty leaving everything to Mike for the weekend just to have fun. Mike kept encouraging me and reassuring me that he had everything under control, so I agreed and threw the things I needed into a bag.
   Our first hike was along a beautiful trail filled with red rocks and tall canyon walls. I joked and chatted with the ladies and enjoyed the gorgeous views. I found more relief in not being needed than I thought I would. No one needed me to undo their seatbelt or toss snacks into the back seat on the way there. I didn't have to tie several pairs of shoes before we set off on the hike. No one asked me to help them scramble up a rock or back down from a ledge. I missed my little guys, but felt a bit rested. The biggest thing I noticed was the silence. There isn't much room for silence in my current season of life. There are so many questions that need answered and requests that need filled, my ears are met with different sounds almost every minute. I relished the quiet crunch of my sneakers on the sand. I let my mind soften into that silence.

   That night we enjoyed a bright orange sunset on the way to the AirBnb and I read my book, studied my scriptures, and crawled into a cute little bunk with two of my sisters giggling nearby.
   The next morning I woke early and found myself in silence again. My mind was rested and ready to get up. I had some thoughts about a song I could write to describe our hike the day before. I snuck downstairs and rummaged in my bag to find the manuscript paper I had tossed in just in case there was time to work on some arrangements. I am an arranger. I've been arranging simple pieces for my piano students for years. I love giving them access to their favorite songs at their level of playing. In our house, Mike is the composer. I've never had the desire to write my own music. I don't hear the world the way he does, but this morning it felt different. I had musical ideas bouncing around in my head and I needed to get them down on paper. In the quiet of the morning I wrote my first song.
   We had the opportunity to spend some time in the St. George Temple and on the grounds later that morning. More beautiful silence was added to my weekend there. We then packed up a lunch and headed for Snow Canyon. The views in Snow Canyon are amazing. We made our way to the top of a bluff and some of the ladies wanted to climb up higher on the rocks. I was content to rest where we were and enjoy the view. I have to be careful to not push my body too hard while it's still healing from the past year. I settled down with my mom and sister. I took some pictures and pulled out the manuscript paper. In the silence on the bluff I could hear the beat of a hawk's wings that flew overhead. That's how quiet it was. It was blissful and more musical ideas made their way onto the paper.

​   Later, I took a short hike by myself while waiting for some of the ladies to make their way back to the van. More silent thought and musical ideas. This whole experience was completely new to me and I was loving it. No wonder Mike loves composing, it is so freeing.

   We made our way back to the AirBnb after grabbing some smoothies and laughed while we each worked on some creative projects. I pulled my manuscript paper out again to get started on some of the ideas that were vying for space on the paper. I went to bed early, enjoying the quiet time to read and write some thoughts down.
   The next day we ended our trip by visiting a cute park up on the hill in St. George. After that we were ready to get back home. I was missing those little arms around my neck and I was excited to share what I had accomplished with Mike. It was a beautiful weekend. Full of love, laughter, and quiet.

    My experience with the power of silence opened up a whole new world of music I haven't experienced before. It was amazing. I teach music, Mike teaches music, we listen to music, we make music, we help our kids make music, he writes music, I arrange music. There's always music present in my life, but this was different. It was my own music, coming from inside me when my world fell silent. I could hear it. It feels good to create special pieces for new musicians. It's not full orchestras or fancy, complicated music. That's not really part of my passion. It's simple melodies to inspire new musicians. It's beautiful and makes me so happy.