What is that Noise?

All was silent as before -
All silent save the dripping rain.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I have a regular hotel that I stay in while visiting our corporate offices in Boston. A well-known hotel brand that is convenient and comfortable. Most times I get a room in the back facing a quiet parking lot.

It helps having the quiet for reading, writing and just reflecting. It allows me to unwind from the day and also prepare for the coming day. Oddly though it seems this time around the noise has been constant.

There was the continual rumble of what seemed to be a deep-throated motorcycle rumbling back and forth. And then there was the pounding as if a construction crew was pile driving foundation supports. Both were noises that I could handle.

But those noises didn't seem to compare to those heard from so many people in Washington, D.C. Some would call them politicians. I would call them simply a noisy gong. It was nearly bearable but with the talking news heads, it became a cacophony of indecipherable noise.

If only they had allowed silence to fall upon the conversation. To let reflection take over the moment, maybe listen to the noise that was drifting away. Just maybe better choices and decisions would have rained down upon their thoughts.

The noise in our lives can have a crippling effect upon us. It can hold us back and keep us from advancing forward. A noisy clanging gong that merely clouds our thoughts.

When the din of life rises around you, take some time to step back into the silence. Let silence clear the noise of confusion so that you can more clearly see the answers.