Quiet Sanctuary

Sunday, February 03, 2013 Posted by Joline

I am an extrovert with a secret.

I don't want to talk to you. At least, not right now. Probably not in an hour. Let's put it this way . . . I'll call YOU. And yet, I am an extrovert. Really, I am.

Only . . .

I prefer a small group of tight friends to that of a crowded party. I spend my day working from home in silence - no background music. No TV. As part of my job I do have to be on the phone, so I'm not a hermit by any means, but, truth be told . . . shhhhhh. I prefer silence. And I adore being by myself.

My sanctuary is found between the spine of a book. In the click-clacking of the keys on my keyboard. In my life-giving words of the scripture I read daily.

For someone like myself who makes a living through connecting and coaching people everyday via phone, email, facebook, texting, and face to face meetings, I crave my pockets of time when my brain can stop and stretch.

Silence. Learning to be silent. Resting in silence. Gaining wisdom through silence.
Solitude. Being alone. Being ok with being alone.

These are my sanctuaries.

Henri Nouwen knows what he is talking about in The Way of the Heart. Ever read it?

For someone like myself who rarely has a restful brain . . . always spinning with ideas . . . the practice of silence and solitude is a necessary discipline.

So, while it seems I'm ignoring you, I'm not. Well . . . I am . . . but not for the reasons you may think. At the risk using a very bad cliche from the world of dating, "It's not you. It's me."