[Kenna]

Silence.... and being silenced.

Both different things.

Both very profound.

I can find peace in silence. My definition of silence may be different than *yours*. For instance: I can be surrounded by only the sounds of nature while hiking in a remote place... but even if the birds are being noisy, I feel and hear peaceful silence.

I am finding, at my work place, that having a voice and being heard is very important to me. I resent being silenced by individuals that think they are better than I am because they have more credentials that I do. My co-worker backed me up today and made me feel appreciated for my voice and my compassion for advocacy work. The credentials on the wall do not make *you* more important than the next person.

Certain forms of silence, many times, has a positive impact on me.

Certain forms of being silenced has recently had a positive impact on me, as well. At work, it has made me even more determined not to lose my voice again, even when in a crowd.