“You can’t let a moment of silence go too long without filling it can you?” a close friend once asked me while driving together on a road trip to the Eastern Shore beaches of Delaware. He wasn’t wrong. I’ve always had challenges with moments of silence. As I’ve gotten older, in my professional and personal life, I’ve slowly improved at honoring the value and importance of those moments of silence and the power of the pause. In that context, sometimes in life we need to take a seat in the quiet car.
That’s exactly what I did one day this week for a day work trip from Washington D.C. up to New York City and back. I woke up at 3:30 am for my 5:00 am train from Washington D.C. Union Station to New York Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall for work meetings. I am not a morning person by any stretch, and 3:30 am wake up is too early for some of my most early bird friends as well. So, when I chose my seats for the train, I intentionally decided to take a seat in the quiet car. No loud noises, distractions, loud conversations, music etc. Only low volume whispered conversations and silence allowing time and space to rest and reflect. As the gray foggy and misty sky, waterways, and highways streaked by outside the train quiet car window, I wasn’t saddened. Instead, I saw it as a new day blank slate to draw a fresh picture of a bright future. An opportunity to write a new chapter in this messy, complicated, flawed, yet beautiful life, correcting past wrongs and paving a positive path forward together.
Those moments of silence in the metaphorical quiet car of life are invaluable to help us connect with ourselves, those we love, and the world around us to listen, heal, recover, make new plans, and prepare for getting back on the journey road with a renewed spirit and positive focus on what is ahead.
I’ve experienced those moments of silence in the metaphorical quiet car as well as the actual quiet car many times. As a young kid the quiet stillness of a night outside camping under the stars by a mountain trout stream. Again, the seeing the beauty in the quiet of new fallen snow on the tall Georgia pines. I experienced the power of the quietness in the moment I saw my baby sister for the first time coming home from the hospital with Mama. And I experienced the power of quietness when I sat by my father and mother’s bedside as they each took their last breaths and left this mortal world behind. Throughout life from birth to death and all the points in between, the power of the pause and the importance of the quietness can not be overestimated. We see ourselves and those we love clearer. And while we may not see the full path ahead, the time in the quiet car allows us to see the vision we want for ourselves and others. Quiet time inspires and strengthens us for the challenging work in the journey ahead.
Time in the metaphorical quiet car sometimes is needed physically too as our body and spirit seeks to recover at different stages of change. In my health journey last week, I didn’t lose or gain any weight. I marked time as my body was in a recovery and reset phase. However, this past week I’ve lost four pounds for a total loss of 50 lbs. since December 15, 2024! So, that is the power of the pause and time in the quiet car, to reset and refocus on my health journey as well as many other aspects of my life journey.
Time in the quiet car is very valuable. And I encourage each of you to pause and take time in the quiet car, literally and figuratively, when you can. Reflect on how the quiet time helped you to focus, actively listen internally, and see new perspectives on your journey. May this message inspire you to find your own quiet car time soon. And as always, wishing you the very best in your journey, and remember that Your Story Matters
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