Moving on from my ‘nothing’ post last week I’ve been thinking about silence, During the conclave the priests involved had to leave behind their phones in order to focus exclusively on prayer and listening for God’s voice. How would you cope without your phone?

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting by myself with a beautiful view of the river Bann and mature trees in the Argory estate. The only sound I could hear was birdsong. It was peace. I sat with no phone, no company, nothing to hide behind. And it was wonderful. The only thoughts I had were of telling you all about it. I let the worry over a new book drift away and just rested.

When did you last sit without interruption, the urge to do something, the noise of social media or the push to prove a point? Find a time to step off the treadmill and just be. Don’t panic about obligations, don’t fret about other people. Everything will be there when you come back.

Even Jesus tried to get away from the crowds so I’m almost sure you can take a break too. Surely one calmed, rested person is better than a harried one? When I look back, the most restful people were the ones who rested themselves. You should try it sometimes. Not because you should but because you want to😊