The Silence within

Its peak winter in Melbourne and early morning of Wed 29 May 2019, and so far it’s the coldest day this year. I am at home midweek which is rare.

Just relaxing, after a very busy period at work and home, and doing nothing. Although I do this (i.e. doing nothing) very often from early childhood, I found a name for it, it’s called *Niksen in Dutch.

To explain Niksen, I recently wrote this... “While trying to achieve a lot in life by single-tasking, eating balanced healthy food, being active with at least one sport, and meditating to be mindful, we have missed on the benefits of just being idle (doing nothing, thinking nothing)...” So I am just staring out at my backyard, with a cup of hot tea, doing nothing, thinking nothing…

It’s pretty cold and windy outside, and so far it was very grey with dark clouds… And slowly the winds have pushed the clouds away and its bright sun. It’s a feeling as if the dark clouds of worry and doubt within me have been blown away and the vision till horizon is clear.

The flock of birds flying look like rockets shooting, I think they are enjoying the winds pushing them without much effort. The weeds and tall tufts of grass in the backyard are waving and announcing their presence, and I never realised they grew up so much.

While it's windy and noisy and cold outside; I am in a still, silent and cosy warm living room, and further within me it’s still more silence and peace. While things are still turbulent at work and life, within my heart I can see the weather changing. I can see the buds of spring inside, although it’s still mid-winter outside. I can see the positive change coming…

The Silence within me is assuring that one stage of hard work and struggle is coming to an end with a vision of positive change and development in the horizon...

Niksen – Refer - https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/05/learn-how-to-do-nothing-with-the-dutch-concept-of-niksen/

Mahtab Syed

29 May 2019

Melbourne

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