What my friend Ashoka says is true. STILLNESS is underrated.
I mean, what is the SOUND of one hand clapping? Ever thought about that?
All you lovely people are paying attention to this person at the microphone, and you are expecting something, right? You are expecting me to tell a story, or share a song so you can sing along. Something we can do together, that makes us feel a part of something bigger than ourselves.
You are out there, I am up here, and we are all … ANTICIPATING…
And I know that if I say NOTHING… WAIT FOR IT…
That is going to create a reaction in each of you. At first you might not notice, but then you WILL notice.
Your head is FULL of thoughts!
That is the POWER of STILLNESS. It fills an empty space.
It’s the sound of WAITING, and WATCHING
For A WHALE on the horizon where the sky meets the line of the sea
And that vast empty ocean is full of life
But it’s invisible. It’s out of sight. But we know it is there, we just have to
WAIT FOR IT…
Thank you, Thank you all you backstage drivers. You hecklers and want to be movie stars…
Thank you for filling that empty void. We all felt relief when you broke the silence. It was uncomfortable.
Thank you all so much for being so anxious to fill the empty space with some vibration other than…
A PREGNANT PAUSE…
You saved us all from having those loud annoying questions rattling around in our brains…
Is it my turn to speak? Is it time to clap? With one hand maybe? What’s next?
I know it was uncomfortable. I’m sorry. I took you by surprise. So this time I will warn you.
There is a WHOLE LOT OF STILLNESS coming up fast. I want you to WAIT FOR IT…
What do you think is the longest time that we can go in STILLNESS?
It is underrated because It’s a waste of time, right?
Do you feel trapped? Do you want to check your cell phone now that there is some free time?
Do you find your checklist filling up your mind?
Just stay with me a little bit longer, ok? Let’s all take a deep breath. MIME
[POINT TO CHIN AND LOOK UP, QUESTIONING]
[POINT TO EAR AND INVITE ALL TO LISTEN]
[POINT TO MEMBERS OF AUDIENCE AND ASK QUESTIONS WITH SILENT EXPRESSIONS]
[SMILE TO ASK “HAPPY” THEN FROWN TO ASK “SAD”]
[WIPE BROW IN RELIEF]
[SMELL SOMETHING WONDERFUL]
Did you like that?
Have we lost something beautiful here in 2019?
Do you remember to enjoy the peace of an unscheduled moment?
Can you hear a quiet thought all by yourself in a busy room full of strangers?
The secret is STILLNESS. It’s always right there. Right here. Everywhere!
It is the default, the autopilot unfolding perfectly as it should,
unhurried and unworried. And all you have to do…
is (All together now)
WAIT FOR IT!
TimeIsArt 