“One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

A new acquaintance asked me if I meditated regularly and I replied in the affirmative, with the caveat that I did not “meditate” in the traditional sense of the word. I explained that I thought best during or shortly after engaging in activities that command my full conscious attention and that in general my clearest thoughts seem to come on the heels of action.

He then asked if I had a similar relationship with silence.

What an excellent question!

I answered again in the affirmative not realizing that I would have the opportunity to back up my words at dinner later that evening while eating alone in Manhattan. If you’ve never eaten alone, it’s quite a treat. The relative silence that comes in the absence of conversation with a dinner partner is a time for reflection, observation and enjoyment.

Spending time alone with your thoughts is an excellent exercise. If you can get past the self-consciousness that tends to come from dining alone, for instance, you enter into a creative field quite unlike the dynamic established in a group situation. As with any creative process, there must be both a creative impulse and a creative field. The creative field provides the womb for original thoughts and creative, artistic expression.

The mind is a remarkable instrument and it pays to explore its various capacities as frequently as time permits.

When you are alone, you more have time to reflect, meditate and to make the acquaintance of your inner thoughts. That said, meditating in silence can initially be quite a challenging proposition. Our minds tend to zip around from thought to thought, like bees on apple blossoms on a warm spring day. It takes practice to follow a thread of thought from an initially high and abstract perch all the way to the ground.

If you don’t believe me or haven’t yet had the experience, find a quiet place and try it. It is well worth the effort!