easy silence

A professor strides into his classroom, the chatter of students subside as they turn to face the front. Some of them eager to learn, while others are there with the sole purpose to obtain a credit. The professor turns towards his class, but does not say a word, he stands in silence, staring.
The students wait, note books open, ready for him to begin casting pearls of wisdom. Yet, he does not speak.
The only sound in the room is the constant ticking of the clock. Five minutes go by, then ten... *coughing, awkward shifting* Some students get up to leave. Still, he does not utter a word.
Finally, 23 minutes later, when the students feel like they could not take this any longer, the professor asks, "What is happening here?"
He pauses, looks each student in the eye, " What is it about silence that makes people uneasy?"
"Why do people only feel comfortable when they are filling the air with words?"

Awkward silence... something I hate, something most of us hate (if I can make that assumption). I'm sure we have all been in a situation where we are with someone, or even a group of people, and all of the sudden the convorsation runs dry. There is usually a long pause as you rack your brain for something to say, and then the moment is saved as someone pipes up with a comment about the weather. Fantastic, relief is felt and the convorsation continues.
Now, I will admit that I am usually the pipey person... the one who 'saves' the convorsation. But why? What is it with silence?
Why do we feel like we always have to fill our lives with noise? While we are driving - crank the tunes. While we are cleaning - crank the tunes. While we are with people - talk, talk, talk. While the family is sitting in the playroom - tv on in the background.
Don't get me wrong, I love to listen music, I love to talk, and I even love to watch tv... But honestly, I think we drown out life sometimes, forget to enjoy it for what it is.
If I was the doctor of this world, I would perscribe a good dose of easy silence.
The silence that is allowed to happen between people. When two or more people are sitting in the same room and no words are needed; there is no pipey person.
The silence when you are in the house by yourself, you hum, you sing, you dance.
The silence that lets you think. Getting lost in the thoughts that are scary, taking you places you really don't want to go, forcing you to deal with the stuff that you rather just not, making you truely realise what you have been compromising... Getting lost in the thoughts that are incredible, taking you places you really want to go, giving space to contemplate the great things in life, allowing you to dream...
The silence that surrounds you as you sit outside on summers night. Crickets singing, birds chirping, wind rustling through the trees, as you watch the sun set.

The silence that feels like a gift, the easy silence.