When life feels a little overwhelming and you need a place of escape, what does your place of refuge look like?
Mine looks like this! In my mind’s eyes I walk barefoot in the cool of the night, hear the creaking sound of the jetty underneath me as it slowly sways on the water. I sit down, taking hold of the jetty railings as I first slowly dip my toes, then my legs in. I sway my dangled legs in the water, stirring it with my feet. Soon my legs get accustomed to the coolness, so I quieten down and stop my movement, not making a ripple.
That is when I become fully aware of the total silence, of pure nothing, surrounding me. I simply get swept away by the beauty of the sound of silence. I find serenity and stillness, as if time has stopped. Only me in the stillness and the sound of my own breathing. I gaze at the still lake that mirrors the sky.
This moment, the silence is my place of refuge. It is the moment when I stop analysing and planning and allow myself to be fully present. Silence is a balm to my troubled mind. It is at that moment that I realise that it’s silence that is Finland’s greatest resource and it is silence that draws me back there again and again.
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Apples of Gold 
I love the picture you painted – I’d love to sit in silence there. In my normal life I often try to break silences with radio or giving myself something so listen to in the background. Like I can only quiet my mind when there’s something else to listen to. After reading your post I’m going to challenge myself more to learn to be in silence. I realise I haven’t appreciated it for the gift it can be.
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I know what you mean. It’s easy to turn the radio on or have background music filling the space. I think this enjoying silence is something I have learned to enjoy because of my Finnish heritage. Finns are at ease with silence. They don’t have a need to fill silent gaps.
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