Silence is Overrated... or is it?

I talk. I talk a lot. My friends would say those are understatements. And then something funny happened last night.

I lost my voice.

How weird is that? And it was. Weird. They had probably never heard me so quiet for so many hours in a row. It's funny though... you stop talking, and you start paying attention. To everything. To the masses of people surrounding you at an Irish Festival in Dublin, Ohio. We were at the Gaelic Storm concert; so it was loud and most of anyone around me couldn't hear each other, so talking during the show wasn't a real option anyway (though it would have been fun to be able to actually sing the songs). And so I watched people.

The little old ladies across from us; I only hope that when my hair is gone and the wrinkles can tell you how many days I've spent on this Earth, that I can sit and enjoy a Irish rock band with the best of them.

The happiness of a reunited couple who spend much too much time separated for the greater good. The love that exudes between them. Two people that compliment each other. And make me hopeful that I might not be alone watching that concert in my 80th year.

The beginning of something, possibly great. Possibly heartbreaking. The potential for something... or just the wishful thoughts of a man who doesn't know what to think.

There is something fascinating about listening instead of talking. Seeing instead of looking. I see why people take vows of silence. It clears up a lot of room in your head and allows you the opportunity to really connect with other people. To watch life unfold around you.

Keaton often makes the comment that sometimes you can talk out your writing and then there's nothing left to write. You've talked it all. It's a good edict. And a good thought process on living. Sometimes I think I talk out my life instead of living it. As if I'm terrified of silence... terrified of being alone with my thoughts. Maybe I am.

Maybe I have gotten so used to communicating through talk that I no longer communicate in more subtle ways. The glance you might share across a table. A smile you might otherwise miss. People can say so much without talking and until I couldn't, I didn't realize how much I truly depended on speech to connect.

Sometimes you don't have to say anything. And that can say everything.