In the most trying of times, when I don’t know which way to turn, which action to take and my emotions are running high, I seek stillness. Not the superficial stillness of not moving but the deeper stillness of inner solitude and quiet. In my experience, prayer is like initiating a request. Stillness is the necessary state of attentiveness in order to receive the answer. I often think that what people regard as unanswered prayers are nothing more than that “still small voice” going unheard amongst the “noise” of life. Although stillness is the optimal state in which to hear or receive an answer, for me, it is one of the hardest states to maintain. By its very nature, stillness means doing nothing. However, in the midst of trying times, anyone you mention the situation to will ask, “what are you going to do about it?” In the absence of a third-party I ask myself the question. Yet, from a multitude of previous experiences whose lessons don’t always remain in my memory, in the midst of the stillness the still small voice comes along with a course of action or something in the situation shifts without effort on my part and the situation moves forward. Once I surrender my will over the situation, change somehow comes. Frequently in these instances, the answer is not always an easy course of action. I’ve found that an easy course of action is not always the best. I’ve also found that the best course of action doesn’t always appear to make the most sense from the outside (or even from the inside for that matter). However, returning to stillness provides the reassurance (sometimes) to continue going in the direction of that still small voice. I enjoy going places and doing things. Movement is essential for me because I am full of restless energy. However, I will always ensure that I have some way of leaving the “noise” behind so that I may tune in to hear that still small voice.