I chose this poem because it reminds me of singing in my college choir. Our director always challenged us to stay energized in the rests, in the silences that occur between every phrase of music. Each of those moments was an opportunity to be present – for just a beat or maybe for many measures – and in that presence to anticipate what was coming next. It was an active participation, even in the silence. It made us better listeners and, as better listeners, even better singers.
He trained us to sing into the silence, to be active in our rest, to create anticipation – even possibility – out of nothing.
Extremes Are Easy
Two buckets were easier carried than one.
I grew up in between.
– Seamus Heaney, “Terminus”
Where one finishes,
the other begins.
Extremes are easy. Only
the middle is a puzzle. Midsummer –
the middle way,
shades of gray,
no absolutes,
only choices.
There,
in-between two notes,
in the pause,
in the silent space between two waves,
in the breath between breaths,
everything is possible.
{W. Craig Gilliam, Where Wild Things Grow}
DAVID BERRY is the author of “A More Daring Life: Finding Voice at the Crossroads of Change” and the founder of RULE13 Learning. He speaks and writes about the complexity of leading in a changing world.
You’re welcome, Ray.
David,
Thanks for this, I think about this when I teach as wellâ¦the power of saying nothing at times and letting the âemptyâ space either make a point or focus students attentionâ¦
RW
Ray Watts, CSPG
Senior Associate Vice President for Advancement
and Senior Philanthropic Advisor
909.748.8358 (office)
909.289.6811 (cell)
ray_watts@redlands.edu
University of Redlands
1200 East Colton Avenue
PO Box 3080
Redlands, CA 92373
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foreveryours.redlands.edu
“It takes a noble person to plant a tree that will give shade to those he or she will never meet.”
David Elton Trueblood (1900-1994)
Ilike this