There is a word that has jumped in frequency for many of our daily interactions.
Mute.
Every time we join an online meeting, the host goes over the rules about keeping yourself quiet, to spare the rest of us the clutter of background noises like playlists and kids hollering from the second floor. You can click on the red icon when you need to speak but otherwise it is best to listen. Your smile is enough.
Being muted can be seen as a negative but perhaps there is value in silencing the extraneous sounds that bounce around in our brains like balloons ready to pop.
Recently a friend shared that she was worried about what I think. I wish I could find the red button to mute those nagging, if imaginary voices that hound her. I doubt such concerns offer hope, or comfort in the shadow of self doubt.
Some of us are depleting our resources. Our patience, and energy, and resilience are running thin as we face circumstances that none of us have prepared for. Even if there is food in the pantry and a job at the other end of a wifi connection, there is an undercurrent of uncertainty that drags like having the parking break on when you are trying to drive.
If you even remember what it is like to drive.
