04 October 2011

Silence and Trust

Riding home with the boss man today from the airport brought an old lesson about silence back to the fore in my mind. The lesson was: silence is a sign of great trust.

He got in the car and shared about his trip and smoked a cigarette and said nothing more really for most of the trip. I didn't feel a need to fill that silence with anything. It was just peaceful to just drive. Occasionally, he would make a funny remark about something (...so I totally woke up feeling like I was about to take off in a plane because we were going uphill and all I could think was... 'not again...'), but aside from that, nothing was said.

That was about an hour of nothing being said.

We communicate so much about so much. It's not even just words; it's a look or a gesture, or a brush on the shoulder. Because that flow already exists, silence does no damage to it. I've learned that, in a relationship where communication is constant and/or consistent (yes, there is a difference), silence is a gift and a sign of trust. Even love in some cases. In the case of my boss man, he can take a nap and not talk. He can be gone for a month and not communicate much. He doesn't have to speak in order to speak to me. His silence says, you got this, so I'll be over here if you need me.

Nothing more need be said when you have a bond like that.

I remember that lesson from my earlier time at EC and I'm glad to have the reminder.

1 comment:

  1. I love when I can spend time with someone and be silent. No words or anything to distract, just spend time together. I went on a walk with a friend the other day, walked and explored the area she grew up in for a bit over 3 hours, and a majority of the time it was just us, walking.

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