Random Musings. . .by Kui Gathua

  “ You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts; and when you can no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a pastime. And in much of your talking, thinking is half murdered. ” ~ Khalil Gibran Happy New Month, the ninth in 2023. 4 months to go before we wrap up this trip around the sun. Last Friday, we considered silence as the absence of sound. The dwelling in solitude so as to hear the voices within and those without that would seek to be heard above the constant din of our busyness. This week I want to consider silence in light of privacy, secrecy; operating under the radar without broadcasting one’s moves until the results are evident. Many people come across great ideas but instead of developing them, they immediately go and broadcast their thoughts, and in the process, the idea gets murdered, washed in ice water, or worse, stolen and run off with. In life there is no shortage of wet blankets who live ...

  “ After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. ” ~ Aldous Huxley Absence of sound, obscurity, secrecy, muteness, shush. Just a few dictionary definitions of silence. Introverts understand silence to be their recharge setting. Extroverts sometimes use it, but mostly abhor it. In an age where every detail about life is just a camera click + Instagram post away, a Facebook check-in or post, or a TikTok post, what does silence look like? Social media-wise – I’d say it looks like a deserted profile. No updates, no posts, no check-ins, no photos of your latest breakfast! And for some people nowadays, that is terrifying! Will Rogers wrote, “ Never miss a good chance to shut up ,” and my mind instantly questioned just what are we usually saying when we’re not silent. Is it worth the effort to put together words and infuse them with breath?   Is it mostly a blustering wind? On reflection, usually when we talk we may just be looking for s...

  “ Discomfort is aroused only to bring the need for correction into awareness. ” ~ A Course in Miracles Twice this week, I woke up in a sweat earlier than my alarm clock. The season is changing – the cold July nights that had me load the bed with blankets are giving way to warmer nights and sunny days. Yes, it’s time for my beautiful crocheted blanket to head to the cleaners and on to storage. Either that, or I could continue to hold on to the blanket and wonder why I’m waking up tired and feeling restless all day, then complain about my beloved Bailey spending the nights perched on my leg and blame her for all my problems. While I live in the tropics and don’t get to enjoy the 4-seasons, there are still discernible changes in the weather pattern that signal the turns of the tides. Those changes call for corresponding changes to my spaces if I’m to continue to enjoy life. In January, I take my umbrella out of my bag and enjoy carrying lighter handbags. It comes back in A...