Greetings and welcome to the Why Struggle Podcast.
I'm your host,
Barbara J.
Faison,
And my intention with this podcast is to offer ideas,
Insights,
And inspirations so you can live life better.
Greetings and welcome to Week 27,
Silence and Letting Go.
This episode is about silence and letting go.
This year,
I've taken a few road trips.
I have traveled for anywhere between three to nine hours at a time and allowed myself to be in silence for at least an hour.
I worked my way up to this over the years.
I would immerse myself in silence.
I would allow my thoughts to do what they do,
Go all over the place.
It's a lovely reminder that I can't control everything.
I started off with 10 to 15 minutes of silence,
And now I can go longer,
Especially if I'm in the car alone.
Within the last 30 days,
I've attended the funerals of my Aunt Rosa and my cousin,
Marlis.
I am grateful I was able to ride down to Tampa with my brother,
Tony,
And his wife,
Patricia,
Both times.
Sitting in the back seat,
Very comfortably,
I might add,
I crocheted,
Read,
Listened to podcasts and audiobooks on the six-plus-hour rides.
Of course,
We stopped along the drive,
And one of our stops is Buc-ee's.
If you aren't familiar,
Google it.
And after stopping in Buc-ee's,
Silence was just what I needed.
Homegoing services or funerals,
Whatever you call them,
Are a time for reflection for me.
The poem shared at my cousin's funeral on Saturday was called Let Me Go by the poet Christina Georgina Rossetti,
Who lived in the 1800s.
Tony and I both remarked after listening to the poem how much we both liked it.
After asking the funeral director the name of the poem,
I was able to find it on Google.
Thank you,
Technology.
Here it is.
Let Me Go by Christina Georgina Rossetti When I come to the end of the road,
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rights in a gloom-filled room.
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little,
But not for long,
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love that once we shared.
Miss me,
But let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take,
And each must go alone.
It's all part of the master plan,
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick at heart,
Go to the friends we know.
Go to the friends we know.
Laugh at all the things we used to do.
Miss me,
But let me go.
When I am dead,
My dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me.
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree.
Be the green grass above me,
With showers and dewdrops wet.
And if thou wilt remember,
And if thou wilt forget,
I shall not see the shadows.
I shall not fear the rain.
I shall not hear the nightingale sing on as if in pain.
And dreaming through the twilight,
That doth not rise nor set,
Happily I may remember,
And happily may forget.
Leaving Florida,
I stopped crocheting and enjoyed looking at the scenery.
The flat terrain and palm trees made me miss the colorful trees and flowers I would see along the Georgia landscape.
I could feel my body relaxing as I watched the trees and water along the road.
At one time,
Silence for me felt very scary.
I would dread not having something to distract me.
With practice,
I have learned to relish silence.
In the silence,
I hear the gentle whooshing of the fan as I lie in my bed.
In the silence,
I hear the gentle whooshing of the fan as I lie in bed in the mornings before I get up.
I hear the birds singing when I sit outside on my back deck.
And I remind myself to be open and receptive to receive answers to questions that I may have in the silence.
I have developed an intimate relationship with silence.
We are partners now in my life's journey.
Take a moment to practice a little bit of silence with me.
Let's take two minutes in silence.
Place one hand over your navel and the other hand over the center of your chest.
If you feel comfortable,
You may close your eyes or leave them open,
Whatever feels right for you in this moment.
Begin noticing your breathing and for the next two minutes,
Focus on breathing in and breathing out in the silence.
I'll be back before you know it.
Let's return back to this present moment.
Take time to check in with how you feel right now.
If you can name that feeling or emotion,
Say it out loud.
I feel calmer.
You did it.
You took two minutes in silence.
It's just practice.
Would you do this again?
Let me know how you felt by leaving a comment where you're listening to this podcast.
