A curved line on the edge of the lake attracted my attention. It was the neck of a heron. The bird stood stock-still, a dark line painted against the water. Its livelihood depended upon silence, but was its heart pounding in its ears with stirring hope for a tasty fish? 

Does my life depend upon silence? That is a definite yes. Silence puts room in my life. Naturally efficient, I don’t let minutes slip idly by. But I work in silence. Quiet undergirds what I do: prepare church music, clean the retreat center, make dinner, pull weeds. Silence makes room for the mystery behind activity. Silence coaxes meaning from the mundane and raises all to a fully-human level, which is as close to the divine as we can be.

Today add silence to your activity. Turn off the radio, cell phone, TV. If possible, turn off the inner chatter that fills our brains. Fully engage in what you are doing, and discover the mystery behind the work. Find meaning in the mundane. And become a little more fully human.