45 Seconds of Silence

Josh and I went to see Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody interviewed by their son Gideon on Valentine’s Day. My favourite moment came in the middle of the show when their son talked about his father’s love of quiet and asked us to give him 45 seconds of silence. He pointed out that it’s rare to get 45 seconds of silence while surrounded by 2000 people.

People did it, and it was beautiful. Just 2000 people, not moving, not speaking, not coughing or shifting or trying to have their voice heard. It reminded me of what I love about silent book club vs. reading alone. Quiet is heavier when you get it around people.

I always have profound moments at Strathmore. The last time we were there, Alan Cumming got the whole audience (2000 people!) to sing “Tomorrow” from Annie with him. Which started out silly and ended up being oddly moving and hopeful.