My second Intention Word for 2016 is SILENCE!
I did not realize how noisy this world was until I quit my job in mainstream dentistry some eight years ago and began to focus on creating silence in my life as part of my healing.
I had worked in an open-concept dental office for roughly eighteen years where the sounds of high-speed drills, ultrasonic scalers, televisions, telephones, doorbells and people talking bombarded and permeated the race-against-the-clock practice of modern dentistry were common every day noise.
I began to take long walks alone in the woods on a daily basis, and in the quiet that enveloped me, I began to suspect that all that noise might not have been good for me.
I reflected back to a time before electricity when there were no televisions, radios, telephones, automobiles and machines; how quiet would that be? Imagine the peace and tranquility without the distraction of all that noise. I began to extend a conscious choice of silence to that which I had control over. I turned off my car radio, I turned off the door chime on our alarm system and I began to limit my television viewing.
I extended this conscious choice of silence to the creation of my dental clinic. I was, and continue to be, very careful to minimize the high-decibel noise that is relentless in a dental office. If I must use my ultrasonic scaler, I offer headphones to patients if they find the noise irritating and unsettling. Interestingly enough, most do!
I refuse to have a television in my office and while I do play gentle instrumental music as a soothing background I attempt to turn it off on a regular basis also. I have a one-person office so there are no other people talking and making noise. The telephone does ring but it has been turned down low and since I space my appointments 90 minutes apart there are no other patients to interrupt the peace and quiet.
This year especially in line with my three words of intention, I am committed to bringing further awareness to the noise that I personally create with my words and my thoughts. For those of you who know me, you know that this will be a challenge. Speaking is easy, remaining quiet is hard and turning off the cacophony of tumbling thoughts that churn incessantly through my subconscious is a relentless chore. But with practice, I am determined to master this noise as well and embrace the Silence.
Again, I welcome my dear friends and family to remind me to stay on track. If you, like me, set three words of intention at the start of the New Year, I would love to hear how you are getting along. I welcome your feedback. You can connect with me via email or telephone, leave a comment right here on the site or join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Until next time,
Kathleen