Observe the rest
Some time back Jeanine and I went to see the film. ‘The Choral’. It’s a charming movie and it involves a choir with all the sparkle and hard work that goes into making intoxicating music. There was a line in the film I remembered long after I walked out of the cinema.
One of the choir leaders is guiding one of the choristers and helpfully says ‘Remember to observe the rest’
Now in ‘Muso language’ I think it means to make sure that the chorister observes the pause in the music.
Pauses and silences when adroitly used in music can lead us on and draw us into the mystery and magic of the music.
It works the same way with a good preacher / speaker. You can either prattle quickly because you are nervous and want to get it all over with, something I have been guilty of on many occasions, or you can have a practice or 6 and find out how it flows. Where do you want to ladle in a nice dollop of silence to enhance the message?
It also works in the art of personal conversation. The most fruitful, potent and luscious conversations are those where silence is blended gently with the talking bits. In the quiet nothing is said, because nothing needs to be said; yet the ‘rest’ or silence serenely weaves a bond between the two people.
Finally a little lesson for myself. ‘Observe the rest’ is a solemn lesson and a warning to make sure that there is at least one day off a week, the required annual leave and a week of retreat. It's enriching for me and my family but also the folk I serve.
Observing the rest is not a luxury where nothing is happening, but it is an essential implement to make sure everything can happen.