Words can say a lot, but they can't say everything. Sometimes there is an unspoken power in the silence between two individuals. Writers are often taught this as a means to increase tension in a scene, but what many forget is that silence doesn't solely represent the presence of tension, it can stand for a far wider array of emotions and statements. When it comes down to it, silence's special ability is to portray what cannot be put into words in a way that internally we still understand on a fundamental level. In that way, it can even be more powerful than words when used correctly.

In a relationship, silence is almost always viewed as a bad sign for the state of that couple. If they're not talking to each other, they must be upset, sad, or growing apart. Perhaps they recently had a fight and are still brooding over it, or perhaps they simply are failing to find subjects to connect over and chat about. In either case, the horizon looks bleak...but is this always the case when there is silence?

The simple answer is no. Though often overlooked, there are times where two individuals can sit in silence occupied by solo activities, yet still feel deeply connected to one another. This has often been the case for my mate and I this year. More often than not our schedules have not aligned to allow us to have long talks or engage in cooperative activities, and so we have been especially quiet towards each other. That doesn't mean we've drifted apart though, for if anything, I think we both have been feeling closer to each other than we ever have before. There may be fewer words exchanged, but there's a lot that is unspoken keeping us bonded. As we've both gone through our own unique struggles this year, there's an understanding we feel with each other that allows us to sit in each other's company without interacting, yet feel perfectly content with where we are with each other. We can both sit there in the same room without saying a single word to each other and feel comfortable letting the silence speak for us, knowing comfortable that the other will understand and still feel the warmth we have for them.

This is something Valcyrie and I have talked about several times throughout the year, usually in relation to how we're able to sit together and read without speaking, whereas others would be anxious over the silence. Naturally, that was the inspiration for this piece and captured it beautifully with their own special style of pure cuteness!

While we're at it, here's a little song you can imagine us listening to in the background (https://youtu.be/MesDsY_HpbM). It's an old song remastered for my hatchday by my dear with the kind of soothing tone that makes it excellent background reading music.