The Quieter You Become, The More You Notice

Maggie (00:02.023)
We spend our lives trying to find ourselves while filling nearly every quiet with someone else's voice. So what happens when we finally turn down the noise and listen? Welcome to Women Folk Revival, where we are deeply rooted and mildly intentional. I'm Maggie.

Meara (00:24.222)
And I'm Mira. And the answer to your question is a lot. I think I think this is I don't think. This is what no one talks about. And that's when you are finally able to turn down that noise.

Maggie (00:28.773)
Ha ha ha.

Meara (00:39.296)
you don't just hear yourself but you start hearing everything else and you suddenly see how just how distracted people are and how very little people actually listen and how often we're having these conversations where no one's hearing the other person talk and then you start noticing how quickly they respond without not even really understanding what was just said, you know. And

Maggie (00:54.642)
Yeah.

Meara (01:09.2)
And honestly, sometimes you start noticing how much unnecessary noise is everywhere. And I don't mean like noise like sound. I mean just the rushing, the reacting, how they talk and constant opinions from everyone. Like we keep saying, the phones, everybody doing five things at once, and someone asking you a question and they barely listen to the answer. And when you start to become quieter yourself, all of that can suddenly become really loud.

Maggie (01:28.349)
Yeah.

Meara (01:39.12)
Like really loud.

Maggie (01:43.698)
Well I think too, I think people have gotten so uncomfortable with with silence and and stillness. I I'm very lucky in the fact that I've always I've always been a quiet person. I've always been very still. And I'm very comfortable in

and that silence and in that stillness. I I don't know how people can can do it any other way. I just I get physical reactions from from all the noise and and from all the chaos. so it's not just it's not just a mental thing for me, it's also a a physical thing.

And I wish that everyone could experience what that's like. I know it's super annoying for for people when I'm constantly asking them, just just slow down. Just, you know, be a little more quiet and

But it's I I need that and I wish that everyone had that physical reaction because then they would it would just be easier for them to slow down. They would see that they need to slow down. They need to quiet down.

Meara (03:04.056)
physical reaction in what sense like what for you what is that like?

Maggie (03:09.231)
I just I don't know. I I get very uneasy. I I feel tension in my body.

It's

Maggie (03:25.839)
I I don't know, it it noise just it hurts my just like it hurts your ears sometimes if something's too close. general noise hurts my ears. And the way that it the same way that it hurts my ears, it just hurts my body. It's like I just I don't know. Yeah.

Meara (03:42.157)
Yeah. Do you physically feel it? I've noticed noise has become general noise for me as well has become a problem. And

I think I believe that that is a lot to do with my hormones that are changing going through perimenopause. I was just talking to my mom about this yesterday actually and she's like, I can't do noise. And she said, I've been like that ever since I started perimenopause. And I said, I'm thinking that that's what it is as well. And also with me being triggered. Like I said, a few episodes ago, my husband can breathe and I will get majorly triggered. Like I just get tense and I'm like, don't do that. And he's like, What, breathe? Yeah, please just stop breathing for like the next day or two.

Maggie (04:12.253)
He

Yeah.

Meara (04:21.544)
But I'll be honest, some days are major triggers for me, for whatever reason, I'll hear someone not listening, or I'll watch someone that's completely missing something that seems just so obvious to me. And and I can feel myself wanting to respond and and point it out and wanting to say, hey, listen, that's not what I just said. Like, how did you not hear me? I literally just explained this to you.

And that's the part that I now need to work on and and not pretending it doesn't bother me because it really, it really honestly does. But learning that I don't have to respond to everything that that bothers me is something that I need to work on. Sometimes I can notice it, like, you know, feeling that irritation starting to happen and I can just let it be there because I know that in that moment

it's really not that big of a deal and I don't have to turn every emotion that I feel into a reaction. And honestly, that's a big part of what slowing down has been teaching me recently is that I'm noticing more. But I also learn that noticing something doesn't mean that I have to act on it. It's just sometimes the most peaceful thing I can do is just think, okay, I see what's happening here and we're gonna leave it there and let it go.

Maggie (05:22.724)
Yeah.

Maggie (05:26.557)
Yeah.

Maggie (05:49.669)
And I and I think that that

especially is difficult for people. We kind of live in a world where we have to have an opinion about everything and we have to react to everything. and you don't. You so don't. And it is it does take work to to get you out of that. You know, it is there are habits involved, new habits that you have to to create for that to happen. And I can't tell you what the actual verse is, but it's give it to God. And that's that's what you should do with with anything you you feel a reaction coming about or you get angry about something or triggered in some way, you know, give it to him and move on. And can can it not be that easy?

Meara (09:47.712)
It's not. I have a really hard time with that.

Maggie (09:48.869)
And maybe maybe that takes maybe that takes practice too. And I and I get it. You know, I get caught up as well. Some days are easier than others.

But when you really start forming that continuous connection, you know, and that conversation, you know, a lot of times I just I leave the conversation open, you know, because he knows I'm I'm gonna be back in five minutes talking to him about something else, you know, hoping that I do, because on a good day I do.

Meara (10:13.378)
Yeah.

Meara (10:18.862)
Yeah. As it should be. Yeah. Mm-hmm. I'm feeling like sometimes maybe these things are our creator's way of pulling us back to him and and knowing that because he knows we need him, right?

So I actually had one of these moments re just recently, more than one. The one I was not nice to someone. I I'm not I'm a nice person, but I'm not perfect. And I was pissed. I said, I hope you know, I hope that you're close to God because you're a terrible person and hung up. Like I was so pissed off. And then I was like, Okay, in that moment, as soon as I hung up, I'm like, that was so unnecessary. Like you are so wrong for this. And God's gonna get you.

Maggie (11:01.072)
Mm-hmm.

Maggie (11:04.932)
You know what though? But but the beautiful thing is though is that you recognize that. And and I would say most people don't realize that or just don't even care to realize.

Meara (11:05.132)
But no, but I said him

Recognition. That's the first step. But I can't just

I used to not care but now I care and now it's like okay but how now how do I get past this? So

Not unfortunate, but we have a lot going on in our lives right now. The kids are starting school, we have a huge event coming up in our lives, really amazing transformation. and so like a lot, there's a lot of moving parts. So, you know, things and doctors need to be changed around, and then something happened to my daughter. So this was my moment that I had. So I was trying to make an appointment for my daughter because we were in the hospital for an eye injury, and she needed a follow-up with the ophthalmologist. So they called, and the problem was the only follow-up appointments that they were only on.

Offering was for the morning and I couldn't come during the morning, you know, because my husband works during the day and I just I'm not gonna take all these kids with me. So I thought, okay, she needs glasses anyway. So I asked the lady, is there any way we can just not do the follow-up and just why don't we schedule her for the optometrist in the afternoon when I can go? And if they see something that still concerns them, then we can always be referred back to the ophthalmologist another day and in the afternoon, and therefore it then it won't be a

Maggie (11:57.948)
Mm.

Meara (12:22.144)
you know, a follow-up appointment, it will be an actual appointment because she needs to be seen. And to me it made sense. And that's how I had explained it. And instead of really hearing what I was asking, the woman kept telling me, Well, we need to schedule a follow-up. And I said, Yes, I understand. I'm not saying she doesn't need a follow-up. I'm just saying I can't come during the morning. And you're telling me the follow-up appointments are only in the morning, right? So I'm asking if we can schedule with the optometrist instead. And she got real snappy with me and asked when

again when the best time would be to come in to be seen for the follow up. And I just remember sitting there thinking, Are we seriously having this conversation again? Because this is one of those things that really gets me, you know, when I feel like I've been perfectly clear and someone isn't actually listening to what I'm saying and I could have kept going. That the

Like I really could have kept going and I could have gotten more frustrated and I could have tried to force her to understand, but she already wasn't hearing me. So I just stopped in that moment. That was one of the good moments. And I said to myself, Okay, thank you. And I hung up. And honestly, I was irritated. And I didn't magically become this peaceful person who wasn't bothered by it because I was a bothered. But I was thinking about it afterward, like, you know, I was like, how did that entire conversation just happen?

Maggie (13:12.571)
Yeah.

Maggie (13:26.332)
Ha ha ha.

Meara (13:40.321)
happen. But then I caught myself because this is what I'm learning. I can't control whether someone listens to me. I can't control whether they understand what I'm saying, even though to me it is perfectly clear. And I can't control how they're going to respond. But I can decide for myself how long I'm going to let that interaction live in my head. And that part matters to me the most because I don't want someone someone else's you know five minute interaction to take up the next three hours of my day.

And I don't want to be making dinner and still fussing about it to my husband now, you know? And I don't want to be talking to my kids thinking about it. And so that's just where I think the real work is for me. And sometimes, right, and right now it's just gonna be okay, how did you handle this after it happened? And how can we be better than next time? So that maybe I can better prepare myself to be more gentle with them. Maybe they're having a bad day. Have I ever thought about that? No, because I'm too rushed to be doing.

Maggie (14:18.475)
Right.

Maggie (14:38.682)
Yeah.

Meara (14:40.144)
Doing what I need to be doing in my own world, I'm not thinking, well, maybe they're in the middle of a divorce. Maybe they don't want to be at work. Maybe they're sick. They don't have a choice. They have to be there. Right. And so maybe they're being snappy with me is something that's going on with them. And I need to recognize that. And a lot of people I also feel like

are gonna be like, well why do I have to recognize what's going on with them? Well if you want peace within yourself, this is where you have to start. Because if you can't you can't go on thinking, well they're gonna have to figure it out. They're they're not you need to only control what's in your hands, right? To get you where you need to be.

Maggie (15:17.787)
Yes.

And I think that's that's another struggle that has come along with the breakdown of community is that we don't have that mindset, you know, how is this person doing and how is that person doing and how am I

Meara (15:27.33)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (15:34.478)
Mm-hmm.

Maggie (15:37.966)
affecting everyone in the community because there there is no community. You go into work, which is away from where you live, you deal with people that you don't know and most likely may never see again or deal again with. So, you know, what what does it matter if you you know, if you say something mean or if you say something the wrong way and but, you know, we we have to and and somewhere along the line there's been a disconnect that that

Meara (15:51.864)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (16:00.515)
Yeah.

Maggie (16:07.949)
Every human is is a living person and and feels and has stuff going on and we have no idea what is going on in in anyone's world, you know. There's so many horrible people in this world doing horrible things to others. You just never know, you know, who you're dealing with. And you know, with a lost sense of community, it's it's hard to keep that that in mind.

mindset all all the time. And I think too, I I also think that there's because we are so consumed with with modern life and what celebrities are doing and what politicians are doing and, you know, watching your T V show or listening to the, you know, album as soon as it comes out and

You know, we we don't have time for for quiet moments and for really getting to know ourselves. You really get to know yourself when you when you slow down and you just just be in the quiet and the stillness. And maybe that scares you, but it's it's something that is that is necessary. We should

Meara (17:19.49)
You and I

Mm-hmm.

Maggie (17:25.603)
If you don't know yourself, how can you know anyone else? And how can you have that true relationship with God when you don't even know who you are, you know, interacting with him or anybody else?

Meara (17:30.232)
Yeah.

Meara (17:37.785)
Yeah, that also opens up a door as well.

I think the more you sit and you're able to get to know yourself more, I think sometimes it turns people off because you're like, ew, that's not me. This isn't what I'm wanting. But when you really start to accept the fact that, okay, this is who I am, then the criticism that you receive from other people that you've been putting off for so long actually hits different. It's not, I'm a terrible person because they said this is what I need to change. Like for example, my husband, he does a lot of critiquing and he's not perfect either. And I used to throw it back and forth like, Well, you do this and you do that. No, shut.

Maggie (18:10.48)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (18:10.736)
Your mouth, Mira. Listen to what the man is telling you. This is your best friend. And so when I started taking his criticism and him critiquing me, not really critiquing, but his criticism of what he sees in me because he lives with me every day and he's the outside person. Now it's not a matter of

Maggie (18:13.135)
Yeah.

Maggie (18:20.129)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Meara (18:28.076)
It's not a matter of, okay, this is this is who I am because he knows that that's not who I am. He's just pointing out, hey, you've been doing this a lot lately and this isn't who you are. I've noticed it. You hear things differently. And so then you start to reflect, you're able to reflect on how you've been and well, maybe I shouldn't, or even if now I'm to the point where I'm like, I don't think I was that way, but I'm gonna do this anyway, just to make it make him see that that's not who I am. But then when I start doing it, I'm like, wait, I was kind of being that way. And

Maggie (18:39.716)
Yeah.

Meara (18:58.0)
What am I really this person? No. So it like it just opens up a whole nother, however you look at it, can of worms or can of flowers, like you know, you can look at it bad or you can look at it good, but he's like he's my best friend. He's not trying to fight me, he's just literally telling me, hey, this is what's going on.

Maggie (19:01.614)
I know.

Meara (19:19.136)
So it's it's a lot. And it's not just with people that you don't know. It's people that you you know that you love and and like us like as friends, like you know, we've we just the last week, we usually talk all the time, but then like in the last week we've just been so busy because of society and everything that's going on and things in our lives. And it's like there was times where I didn't respond where I'm sure you could have been like, Well, I'm gonna be upset with her, times that you didn't respond to me, and I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna be so upset with her, but it's like you are.

Maggie (19:21.015)
It's mm.

Maggie (19:26.18)
Yeah.

Maggie (19:34.501)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (19:49.023)
my community, you understand what's going on. I understand what's going on. So I wouldn't even let these thoughts proceed into my head of, well, I'm gonna be upset with her and be this sort of way. Because we're two best friends. Like what what are we fight what would we want to fight with each other for? For what? Like we are both busy. We are both having things going on in our lives. And and it's like a mutual agreement. We both understand how things work. And that's what I love so much about a relationship is we cannot talk for several days.

Maggie (20:02.542)
Right.

Meara (20:18.906)
And then try to do something and it not work. But it's just like we understand that that's life, right? And what are we gonna get out of being upset for what? Like, and that's what I love about us and trying to grow this community with other women is there's so many communities I see out there, especially like on Facebook and stuff that I've joined, and people are just going at each other's throats for no reason, like just these simple things of well, she shouldn't have asked that question. That was stupid. So this is an environment where people are supposed

Maggie (20:21.475)
Yeah.

Maggie (20:28.516)
Mm-hmm.

Maggie (20:42.618)
Yeah.

Meara (20:48.916)
To feel safe and ask those stupid questions that you're thinking are so dumb, right? Like no question is stupid. If it's basic and I know the answer, they might not be able to have that thought process of what the answer might be because maybe they're in such torment or they have so much trauma that they really do need you to answer that simple question.

Maggie (21:08.662)
And and isn't that just so isn't that just so strange? I mean, didn't we all you know, for those of us that did go to school, we were around other children that all learned differently and and thought differently and and we saw that and we we knew that. So why is it now as adults are we so unforgiving when somebody just doesn't get something? I am

Meara (21:13.482)
It's awful.

Meara (21:22.53)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Meara (21:30.444)
were bullies.

Meara (21:34.688)
It's so gross, Maggie. I hate it.

Maggie (21:37.708)
My husband and I deal with this a lot because I he always tells me that I I live in a fantasy world. And I and I I get that I do.

Meara (21:45.662)
Ha ha.

Maggie (21:51.777)
I I do understand that, but it's not that's not necessarily a choice that I make. I I think differently and I I see things differently and I

Meara (21:51.799)
I love it.

Meara (21:59.288)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Maggie (22:04.962)
you know, and I can never just hear something. I always need to, you know, break it down and and figure out if, you know, is this a simple question or is there is there more to it? Is there something that I'm missing? Is this coming from a certain place or Yeah. Yes I do. And that's and that's okay, you know, it's okay for us to be God made us all differently.

Meara (22:20.46)
You also need to feel the emotion of something. I've noticed that about you. Mhm. And that's amazing. It is.

Meara (22:34.552)
For a reason though, because that's what we need you to bring to our table here at Women Folk Revival. We need different. Just because your opinion is different from somebody else's, or I don't agree with you on something, I could care less. I can still learn from you in a different sense, in a different way, right? With maybe you'll maybe you'll teach me how to understand something differently where I would have never thought before that I would have understood something from somebody. And now I get it because you helped me explain that way because of your dumb question that somebody else thought was dumb, right? So I just think

Maggie (22:40.004)
Yes.

Maggie (22:49.827)
Yeah.

Maggie (22:54.265)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Maggie (23:03.138)
Yeah. You know how many times I've heard a dumb question and then it it answered something else that I I had been thinking about? I mean, it's crazy. You know, so I you know, and if and if somebody gets like that with you, if someone is

Meara (23:11.746)
Yeah. Yeah.

Meara (23:17.527)
It is.

Maggie (23:26.54)
is on you for not, you know, getting it the way that they're giving it to you. That's not your fault. That is their fault. And I don't change you, you know, just I don't know how we happily encourage these people to, you know

Meara (23:31.904)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (23:44.685)
Well, there was one incident on a Facebook group where this woman was just kind of going at like attacking this woman who had asked a question. And so instead of putting her on blast like everybody else did, I did send her a message privately saying, I'm on here privately messaging you because I don't want to put you on blast. And I just want to say that maybe this is going on with this person and maybe they asked it in this way. I do understand your side as well, but I feel like we all kind of just need to be more like, you know, kind to one another.

Maggie (24:14.265)
Yeah.

Meara (24:18.77)
Shocked and surprised. And she did end up saying something back to that woman that like kind of like it wasn't exactly an apology. And I I like I wasn't expecting anything from her. I just wanted to say, hey, maybe, you know, this was kind of a bit much, and maybe we should just all love each other as women. Like we're on the same team here. You know, we're not saying anything to be silly or weird or just because it makes sense to you and it doesn't make sense to them, they're supposed to get it. Like my husband's done that with me plenty of times before where he

Maggie (24:35.375)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Maggie (24:45.581)
Right.

Meara (24:48.684)
He just looks at me because he's like, You're so intelligent. How do you not understand this? Well, because I'm not really that intelligent. I don't know everything, right? I'm not you. I don't know everything you know and he's like, I guess, you know, you're right. I guess I shouldn't expect you to know everything I know, but I guess because he thinks we're just one person now. I'm not in your brain, man.

Maggie (25:05.967)
Yeah.

Maggie (25:10.862)
Yeah.

Funny.

Meara (25:13.612)
But when you slow down you start noticing things, you know, and sometimes you notice things you wish you didn't and you should start noticing how many people are constantly distracted and how often people aren't really listening and how quickly reac we react and and how often we're really thinking about what we're gonna say before the other person has, you know, even finished talking. And I don't wanna become someone who's constantly irritated by that. So I'm just

Maggie (25:16.942)
Yes.

Meara (25:42.723)
would just be creating another kind of chaos and noise for yourself, you know? I'm n I'm noticing everyone else's chaos and then I'm I you know, you end up bringing it home with yourself and that's not what you want. You don't want to become more more present to make more judgment, right? you don't wanna slow down to turn into I don't want slowing down

Maggie (25:59.866)
Yeah.

Meara (26:12.056)
To turn into me walking around thinking everyone else is, you know, doing life wrong because that's not peace either. And I think that's really important direction that we need to go in, because there's a difference between noticing something and judging everybody that you notice. And realizing how someone isn't listening and deciding that they're a terrible person because of it. You know, there's just there's a difference between seeing the chaos and letting yourself get pulled into that chaos. And I'm learning that

Maggie (26:25.226)
Right.

Meara (26:37.228)
I'm still learning. It's a process that I can see without taking it on, at least I'm trying, you know. And some days I do really well and some days I don't.

Maggie (26:40.867)
It is.

Maggie (26:47.992)
And I think I think it's especially harder too for people who are really immersed in societal living and are constantly surrounded by by other people, especially p you know, people that they don't know and don't, you know, don't necessarily care about. so I I'm not really sure how exactly to navigate that.

Meara (27:06.627)
Yeah.

Maggie (27:16.524)
Other than I mean, I don't know.

I guess I I guess I did that throughout life when I I was more immersed in it and you kind of just have to close yourself off in a way, which again was easy for me 'cause I'm extremely introverted and I've always kind of, you know I've always been, you know, more of like your lone wolf brother. Even when I was, you know, had groups of friends, I you know, just never really felt

Meara (27:25.55)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (27:29.528)
Yeah.

Meara (27:43.011)
Mm-hmm.

Maggie (27:47.65)
I guess a part of everything. So I think it was easier for me in that sense too, to kind of step away and 'cause that's just what really spoke to me. but I I would love to hear, you know, maybe your opinions or, you know, our listeners that are completely immersed in their life and how they are able to to kind of shut all of that off and how to be more intentional and thoughtful in the moment of

Meara (27:50.584)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (27:58.265)
Yeah.

Maggie (28:17.782)
Of of chaos. Yeah.

Meara (28:18.008)
Chaos. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I don't think slowing down means that we're suddenly supposed to like

Become these perfectly calm women who never get irritated. We are women, right? We are still human and we are still gonna have triggers, especially as we go into that amazing perimenopause era. And we're still gonna have moments where somebody gets under our skin. The difference is just you know, learning to recognize what's happening inside of you and to catch it in that moment and to pause and just give yourself a second before you respond, because that second can change everything. You know, sometimes you realize, you know what, this doesn't actually need my energy, and you're able to.

Maggie (28:29.998)
Mm.

Maggie (28:50.628)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (28:55.32)
move on and that's one of the strangest things about becoming quieter is you don't become more you just become more aware of how loud that it was always that it has always been for you and at first that's really uncomfortable because you start seeing things and hearing things and realizing how much you know you've been surrounded by noise without even realizing it and maybe that's why we feel every quiet moment just because when everything gets quiet we finally have to notice you know yourself like you said before what's happening around you and

Maggie (29:05.839)
Yeah.

Maggie (29:21.978)
Mm.

Meara (29:25.24)
And sometimes that like I said, that's really uncomfortable, but I also think there's something really beautiful about it because you start noticing and you get a chance you know, you get a choice. You you can keep re reacting to everything you see or you can become more intentional about what you're allowing to happen in your day.

Maggie (29:35.555)
Yeah.

Maggie (29:41.4)
Yes. And and as much as that is it's a hard step, you know, it's a hard pill to swallow when you finally realize that you are not who you thought you were. but

Meara (29:48.398)
Mm.

Meara (29:52.002)
Very hard. Mm-hmm.

Maggie (29:56.14)
Also know I mean know what good is gonna come from that if you just, you know, put in the work and stay mindful and continue to give yourself those times of quiet and still. But you're also gonna start realizing other things, you know, maybe how tired you are, maybe how unhappy you are with with something.

Meara (30:15.214)
Mm.

Maggie (30:21.057)
You know, and and that can be a gift too, especially when you really start listening to your body and maybe different ailments that you have and

Meara (30:30.05)
More in tune. Mm-hmm.

Maggie (30:31.435)
Yeah, and then that way, you know, you can get those things fixed and then it's less that's kind of pulling at you every every single day. And you start to notice your own intuition you know, creativity and you have more time for for prayer and and that connection and just to look at the around and the world, the natural world, you know, and and just complete wonderment and

Meara (30:35.906)
Yes.

Meara (30:44.876)
Yeah.

Meara (30:58.775)
Yeah.

Maggie (31:01.339)
And just complete awe at how how beautiful it is. And know that there's a whole world going on outside of outside of your life.

Meara (31:07.394)
Mm-hmm.

Meara (31:13.315)
Yeah.

Maggie (31:16.077)
I don't know.

Meara (31:16.386)
Yeah, I think that's what peace actually looks like. Not never being bothered, getting irritated, pretending everything's fine, but being able to say, This bothered me and I'm still okay. Maybe that's what happens when we finally turn down the noise. We start hearing

Maggie (31:25.016)
Yeah.

Maggie (31:30.581)
And and and maybe one reason why modern lives modern life keeps us so relentlessly stimulated is that is that quiet people start thinking for themselves and they don't want us thinking for themselves.

You know, they want us in control, doing what they they want us to do. And you know, thinking for yourself and living for yourself is not exactly it's not the most profitable thing for them. you know, quiet doesn't sell you very much. It can if you make it work for yourself, but it doesn't for the system, you know.

Meara (32:14.211)
Yeah.

Meara (32:21.038)
Mm.

Maggie (32:22.571)
A woman sitting underneath a tree thinking for an hour isn't isn't profitable for them. It's profitable for you and your your well being, your health and and your connection to God. But you know, it's it's not it's not for them.

Meara (32:23.427)
Well

Meara (32:28.918)
Yeah.

Maggie (32:43.373)
But what it would do for for the individual and then for humanity as a whole if we all took that time to be still and quiet and thoughtful and intentional and to regain our connection with the real world that is not society, the real world is the one that was given to us by our creator.

Meara (32:43.96)
Yes.

Meara (33:08.95)
Right. But I am just gonna throw in there that we still have to continue dealing with society. We just have to learn how to turn off the noise on the right side of of the chart. So

Maggie (33:17.859)
We also have to figure out how to make society work for the real world, for God's world.

Meara (33:23.544)
Yes.

Yes, that's what I was getting at. So we start hearing things we didn't notice before. You know, we hear ourselves, we notice the people around us. We notice how distracted everybody is. We notice how little people actually listen. And honestly, sometimes that can be really frustrating. But maybe becoming quieter isn't about making everyone else quieter too. Maybe it's about learning what to do with what we notice. Because where we're going because we're going to see things, we're going to have those moments where we're

We're thinking, how did you not just hear what I said? We're going to get irritated, we're going to want to respond, and sometimes we will, but maybe we can start catching ourselves. Take a breath, let the moment be what it is, and then come back to our own lives. Because we don't have to fix everything we notice, we don't have to understand everybody, and we don't have to let every little thing we see take up space in our minds. Maybe that's what listening really gives us, not just the ability to hear ourselves.

But the ability to choose what we carry. So if you've been slowing down lately and you've started noticing more, don't be afraid of that. You might notice things that frustrate you. You might notice things that surprise you. You might even notice things about yourself you didn't see before. Just remember you don't have to respond to everything you notice. Sometimes you can simply see it, take a breath, and let it pass. And maybe that's where we're really what we're really learning to do. Not escape the noise, not make the whole world.

World slow down. Just learn how to live our lives without letting all that noise pull up pull us out of them. So next time something gets under your skin, pause before you respond. Take a breath and ask yourself, does this actually need me? Because sometimes it doesn't, and that's okay. If this conversation resonated with you, be sure to subscribe and follow to Women Folk Revival on your favorite app and come join us over on our Facebook community page. And next week we're going to go a little deeper into what's

Meara (35:24.115)
happening when we start paying attention to what we've lost along the way. The things our elders knew how to do. The things they knew that we weren't always taught. And why I think it's so important that we start learning those things again. So we can pass them down instead of letting them disappear. The elders knew something we forgot. So until next time. Stay wild.

Maggie (35:45.358)
Stay rooted and stay wild.