The Quiet Between Words

I was sitting in the back of the bus this morning, watching a woman across the aisle. She wasn’t looking at her phone or reading a book. She just had her eyes closed, her hands resting palm-up on her lap, her lips moving in a silent, rhythmic way. It was a private conversation, one that didn’t need an audience or a response. It made me realize how much of our lives we spend performing for others, constantly explaining ourselves or justifying our choices. But there is something deeply grounding about those moments where we stop trying to be understood by the world and instead turn inward. It is a kind of surrender, a way of admitting that we don’t have all the answers and that we are okay with that. When was the last time you let yourself be truly quiet, without needing to fix anything or prove anything to anyone else?

Karan Zadoo has captured this exact feeling of surrender in his beautiful image titled Supplication for Grace. It reminds me that even in the middle of a busy, loud world, we can always find a small space to be still. Does this image bring up a sense of peace for you, too?