I have been thinking a lot about silence and ways to silence my mind. During my last confession I spoke to my priest about trying to find ways of quieting my mind. I have a terrible time trying to be silent....and still. It is never quiet in my house, or car....ever. In the moments it is a little quieter I fill my mind with reading, talking to Cam, listening to music, or surfing my computer...and phone. Yes, I try to quiet myself when I say my prayers. But most of the time it's with 5 little wiggly bodies. It's at night and I'm tired and in a hurry. It's not very quiet. Do I really have time? Of course I do. But, I tend to busy myself right out of it. I do not feel comfortable in silence. I do not like it. At all!
My friend suggested I spend 10 minutes a day in silence praying the Jesus prayer (Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner). WHAT?? I panicked. 10 minutes is a LONG TIME! She laughed. Okay, try 5. So the next day I tried it. After what seemed like an eternity I opened my eyes and checked how long I had done it. 3 minutes! I need more practice. Way more!
There are things we have done lately that have been great for quiet time. We canceled cable. I love it. I do not miss it at all. I used to have the TV on while I read magazines in bed at night or I'd have it on while folding laundry. I don't miss it a bit....especially all the political ads.
There is more I could do. Much more. I know it would benefit me...and others. I need to carve out the time for it. Why don't I do it??
What do you do to quiet your mind? How do you spend time in silence? Tell me your secrets so I can copy you. Seriously.
PS I'm terribly addicted to multitasking...which makes sitting in silence really hard. While writing this post I changed a light bulb, got milk for Sis, went to another website and checked my texts on my phone. Help!