The Quiet Spaces
Day 28 of 31: 200 Words-A-Day Challenge
Three more days! Please join in… If you need a prompt, see below. If not, still write at least 200 words about whatever is calling to you. JUST WRITE. Then share with us what you’ve written in the comments or via Notes. A restack with it would make me smile!
The Quiet Spaces
As a curious observer of human nature, I’ve watched how people manage moments when a conversation pauses. Most of us, it seems, are compelled to fill the quiet spaces.
Silence is a void—a chasm where uncertainties, insecurities, and self-doubts arise.
“Did I say something stupid?”
“Are they bored with me?”
So, we attempt to fill the gap with words before the voices in our head can take over. When they do, the exchange has taken an unfortunate inward turn; it has become all about us. Even if the other person resumes talking, there’s no longer room for deep listening.
When I was in high school, my dad told me once, “You know someone is a good friend when you can sit in silence with them and still be comfortable.” He said it with the certainty that comes from experience. I don’t recall the rest of the conversation, but that statement and his conviction about it have stayed with me.
So that makes me wonder, would you be willing to consider that someone’s silence in response to what you’ve said has nothing to do with their opinions about your intelligence level or how interesting you are, but rather, they’re simply taking in what you’ve just said? Could you give them that moment?
The next time you have a chance to respond to something another person has told you, could you simply offer a nod, a sigh, to make eye contact or soften your expression? How ‘heard’ might that make them feel?
What if we gave each other these moments? Rather than filling the chasm with chatter to avoid feeling awkward and uncomfortable, is it possible for us to embrace the quiet spaces as profound opportunities for connection?
Your Prompt / Day 28 of 31
(as if the questions I asked you already aren’t enough!?)
Consider a time when you found yourself filling a conversation with unnecessary chatter. What fears or insecurities prompted you to do this? How could the interaction have been different had you embraced the silence instead?
Gina- Your dad is absolutely right about this. I’ve definitely measured the stage of my friendship with someone based on how comfortable we are to sit together in silence.