It is sometimes my very favorite part of the perfomance. That vibrant silence that hangs in the hall just after the last note. The collective breathlessness in which we drink in all it means to be in that place in that moment.
Any musician worth his salt will tell you that the silences in music are at least as important as the sounds. It is the interplay of the two that makes the magic. Poets know it, too. The best of them create silences within the words, controlling the reader's breaths like a puppeteer. The breathing is an integral part. The words do not receive their full resonance without it. A writer or musician who is afraid of silence will create works that are frenetic and cluttered. And lifeless.
Rhythm. Ebb and flow. Crescendo and decrescendo. Work and rest. It is a crucial pattern in art. It is a crucial pattern in life.
Sometimes it is imposed on us without our consent. The seasons bring their changes whether we will it or no. Some will feel them more keenly than others, but all will feel them.
Other rhythms invite, but do not demand, our participation. Each January, we are handed a brand new year. Some of us will use this opportunity to reflect on the year past and dream of the year ahead. It is a time of self-searching and goal setting. The seasons of the Church also invite us to experience death and renewal, longing and celebration, each in their turn.
Some rhythms we create for ourselves. Each time I participate in a running event, I sit down...within a day or two, and begin to plan the next. It may be weeks before I begin training in earnest, but I need to have that goal out there...giving shape to the months ahead. On Sunday afternoon after Ragnar, I spent a couple of hours researching ultra marathons...browsing training plans, reading up on the two or three events in which I am most interested. Training will not officially begin until the first of March. But knowing where I am headed helps me to revel in this season of recovery, anticipating its restorative benefits.
Rhythm. Ebb and flow. Crescendo and decrescendo. Work and rest. It is a crucial pattern in art. It is a crucial pattern in life.
Do you find that life is more managable, more inviting, when there is pattern and shape? How do you create rhythm for yourself?
*Painting: Autumn Rhythm by Jackson Pollock
Shelia, I LOVE this post! Definitely more manageable when I have pattern. I create rhythm by being still. Not always easy for me, but I know it's vital! And funny, in one of my devotions this morning Psalm 46:10 came up. :)
Posted by: Julie B | 18 November 2010 at 12:03 PM
Very true. Rhythm is essential. In large and small ways.
Posted by: Megan | 20 November 2010 at 08:11 AM