the hit list the ben of silence

In September I began a little Ben Franklin side project where I began exploring one of his Thirteen Virtues each month. I’ve gotten two months under my belt and am working on the third virtue. (You can read more about each virtue at this cool website called ThirteenVirtues.com.)

September was – Temperance – moderation. Which meant getting my wicked indulgences in check. Two months later – I’ve lost weight! I have a goal in mind and I’m now on my way. Yee haw!

Last month, my virtue was Silence. Easy peasy. I LOVE quiet time and am highly introverted (hard to believe but oh-so-true), so I made ample opportunities for total noiselessness. With my husband out of town for part of October, that lull was even more delicious.

I worked in total silence. At night, I read and pondered.

I hushed my mind and I wrote. I wrote in a trance-like state, channeling words like some kind of strange automatic writing thang.

Feeling triumphant, I moseyed over to the Ben Franklin Thirteen Virtue site and then read the words: “Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.”

Crud.

I’m the queen of trifling conversation. I read all the trash mags and watch scandalous amounts of reality television. UGH. How on earth was I going to master my need for pop culture garbage and worse yet – talking about it?

I began by doing an honest scan of my television habits and realized that I’ve actually gotten better over the years. I gave up the Housewives and Mob Wives long ago when I got sick of watching overly-made-up middle-aged women bickering. I replaced that tripe with some business makeover shows. I’ve also been too busy to do my regular Maury watching. So far, so good.

BUT I still had one banal show that I was hanging on to: Bad Girl’s Club, a show where a bunch of twenty-something “bad girls” lived in a house together, partying and carrying on like a bunch of fools. I don’t why I couldn’t give this up. (Perhaps it’s because it was the preferred topic with my bank teller buddies.)

I continued to watch it, imagining Ben Franklin, shaking his head in pity. How on earth was I going to get this silence business right when I needed to cram my skull with low-rent mind sludge?

And then it happened. Some of the girls on the show went too far. They completely destroyed the other housemates’ belongings. I don’t know why that particular incident set me off because it’s not the first time this has happened on the show. But this time it was different: they took the destruction to epic levels and the girls who were victimized were rightfully upset…and proceeded to get ultra-violent until they were kicked off the show.

I couldn’t take it.

It was too much. Done and done. Sometimes you just need trifling shoved so hard in your face that you have to say enough and turn it down or off.

The season is over and so am I. Trés simple. Ben would be proud (and probably encouraging me to read something).

What I learned: silence is golden but sometimes you need things to go extremes before you appreciate that.

How I intend to carry this virtue forward: I will be leaning out my trifling television-watching ways a bit more. I don’t need to see screaming, insipid behavior for my entertainment.

Silence & Tarot – your affirmation for the month:

Inner peace begins when you create outer peace.

hermit

What about you?

Do you have enough silence in your life? If not, what can you do to create that sacred space?

bigstock-Benjamin-Franklin-hand-on-hip-21364109If you’d like to join me as I continue my journey through Ben Franklin’s Thirteen Virtues, feel free! This month (November) I am tackling Order. Which means that some decluttering needs to happen here – stat!  I’ll be back next month and let you know how it goes.

I hope you’re enjoying this little side project (I am).

As my buddy B-Franklin says: “Silence is not always a Sign of Wisdom, but Babbling is ever a folly.”

Word.

 

 

monkey-pillow-fight

That’s my baby boy, Monkey!

Other stuff:

The day after. Yesterday’s horrendous massacre in Paris.

As always Yes and Yes has great stuff: How to chase your dreams without hating your life.

Stunning: Russian artist creates surreal photos to illustrate traditional fairy tales.

From Beth Owl’s Daughter: the story behind Friday the 13th.

A thoughtful post on death from Hilary Parry: The season of death, the veil is thin, and a tarot tribute.

Want to manage your work stress better?  Start with tonight.  Good advice from Dr. Suzanne Gelb.

Annika Martin shares this bit of wisdom: How to respond when your friend is having a God freakout (or any kind really).

Yes to this: a meditation on shit talkers.

Balancing entrepreneurship, babies, and feminism.  Great stuff from Jennifer Dzuira.

Going through a rough time? Esmé Wang’s restorative journaling class is open for registration: Rawness of Remembering.

Whatever happened to Lorena Bobbitt?

Missy Elliot is back and in great form (not surprising).

The abortion war goes to the Supreme Court.  The right to choose hangs in the balance.

Boss babes are tough little bitches.

What to read before the Democratic debate.

This looks pretty amazing: Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking

If you’re a Star Wars fanatic, you might just need this makeup pouch: Loungefly Epic Star Wars Tattoo Flash Print Makeup Pouch

This podcasting kit looks pretty cool: BEHRINGER PODCASTUDIO USB

A new tarot book and deck kit worth considering: Exploring Tarot Using Radiant Rider-waite Tarot: Deck & Book Set

 

What I’m Grateful For:

Cats who respect boundaries (on rare occasion)

Good television shows like Game of Thrones

A stack of magazines with holiday ideas

Gummy vitamins

A working furnace

The roof over my head on a blustery day

Happy notes in my inbox

 

Soundtrack for 11/14/15: “God’s Whisper” by Raury – some of the best new music out there. This dude is only 19, people! DAMN.

Blessings,
Theresa

© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2015

images from stock photography and personal collection

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