“Stillness is our most intense mode of action. It is in our moments of deep quiet that is born every idea,
emotion, and drive which we eventually honor with the name of action. We reach highest in meditation,
and farthest in prayer. In stillness every human being is great.” Leonard Bernstein
One thing that I learned while living abroad in France was that I needed to take the time to sit still and
enjoy life. I would walk to Park de Prebends, find a bench, and be lost in my own thoughts. I would take
time to observe the flowers, the ducks swimming in the pond, and the birds flying in the air. Not too far
away, the children would be playing a game of tag. An older lady would sit at her usual bench while
pushing her dog in a stroller back and forth and singing him a lullaby. It was not a quiet environment,
but my mind was still, and I was living in the present. At that moment, nothing else mattered but the
inner voice inside that was beckoning me to be still. It was in the stillness that was able to navigate
whatever situation that I was going through. I was then able to see that where I was then was not the
same as where I was the day before, and slowly the future did not seem to be so scary.
It was 6:30 on a Saturday morning when he got up and went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of
coffee. Almost two hours later, I found him sitting at his favorite chair drinking his coffee while staring at
the window. He seemed so far away. I asked him, “what are you doing?” “Thinking,” he said…. His
answered reminded me of the time when I too, found pleasure in thinking, in being still and being in the
moment. What resonated with me the most about his answer was how, along the way, I had lost the
ability to sit still and think. To sit still and enjoy the moment.
We live in a society where we feel the need to be always entertained. I truly think this has diminished
our ability to think and challenge ourselves. How do we then regain control? Perhaps we should start
small. Why not spend an hour a week at a park with a book? Go on a solo trip! Improve our cognitive
skills by learning a new language. Spend time in prayer and meditation. If I have learned anything from
the French culture, it is their ability enjoy life. It is okay to be still…
