Day 16 – Sit in the Quiet and Listen

(Swapped with Day 22 – because, well, camping prep waits for no one)

Let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like preparing for a camping trip to test your ability to stay present. Between laundry, groceries, packing, reorganizing the trailer, checking what’s missing (and discovering five things I didn’t know I needed), my brain has been ping-ponging in full chaos mode. Add in a terrible night’s sleep—because naturally my body knew I had a million things to do—and I was up every few minutes. Eventually, at 3:30 a.m., I gave up on the idea of sleeping and decided instead to sit in the dark and just… listen.

That’s it. No scrolling. No lights. No distractions. Just me, my thoughts, and the sounds of my world.

At first, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. Maybe some kind of magical clarity or an overwhelming sense of peace. But what I found was much simpler—and, oddly, more profound.

I heard the soft trickle of the dogs' water fountain, the wind and rain tapping against the windows, the rhythmic hum of the furnace cycling on and off. I noticed the gentle pad of Lucky’s paws as he tiptoed back into the room, and the sound of my spouse breathing, mixed with the occasional rustling of blankets and a half-mumbled dream comment (he talks in his sleep—a lot). My dog sniffed in the darkness, noticed I was awake, and let out a soft whine when I didn’t give him attention right away. Sorry, buddy. I was listening.

The experience was subtle, but oddly grounding.

Here’s the thing: I realized that in this sensory slowdown, I actually noticed something I don’t often catch: the act of noticing itself. I wasn’t seeing anything. I wasn’t smelling anything special. There was nothing new to touch. But I was fully immersed in sound, and because of that, fully present in the moment.

We spend so much time distracted—by our phones, our to-do lists, the never-ending noise of daily life—that we forget how powerful it can be to just be. To hear the world, not in its chaos, but in its quiet.

And turns out, science backs this up.

The Benefits of Quiet Reflection:

• Reduces stress: A 2013 study in Brain, Structure and Function found that two hours of silence per day prompted cell development in the hippocampus, the brain region related to learning, memory, and emotion regulation.

• Improves focus and clarity: A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology showed that silence can restore the brain’s cognitive resources, helping us concentrate and process information better.

• Supports emotional regulation: Quiet time increases activity in the default mode network (DMN), a brain system associated with self-reflection and introspection.

• Promotes mindfulness and presence: Simply being still and focusing on one sense—like hearing—can bring you into the here and now, reducing anxiety tied to the past or future.

  
  

What I Took Away:

This moment reminded me that there is healing in simplicity. That we don’t always need a plan, a purpose, or productivity. Sometimes, the most important thing we can do is sit with ourselves, in stillness, and actually listen.

It doesn’t have to be 3:30 in the morning (please don’t make a habit of that, it’s brutal), and it doesn’t have to be some dramatic spiritual awakening. But even a few minutes a day of quiet listening can do wonders for your mental health and sense of connection—with yourself, and the world around you.

I didn’t expect to learn anything this morning, and yet, I walked away with a deeper awareness of my surroundings and myself. And hey, that’s a win—even if I still have a mountain of camping prep to tackle.