Listening for the temple bells: what I learned by taking a month off

communications

Oct 29

Japanese garden in background; title of article: Listening for the temple bells: what I learned by taking a month off

When I started my business in 2019, I set a goal to be able to work for 11 months of the year. This fall I did something I hadn’t done since before starting my career: I took a full month away from work.

In August, we took our youngest of three sons to start college in Colorado. Then our middle son moved to New York City to try out being an actor/director. My home and nest, full of loud energy and laughter for 29 years, emptied.

I planned our trip to Japan and Australia as a distraction from the empty nest, but it was also a bucket list trip. I met my husband in Japan when we were just 22 and 24 years old. We stayed there for three years, teaching English and traveling around Asia. We hadn’t been back for 37 years. I added Australia because my husband’s brother lives there with his family, and I had never been down under.

With my husband at
Kiyomizudera, my
favorite temple in
Kyoto, 1988.
This year we had
to get up at 6 am
to get there before
the crowds.
Looking for the quiet!

Our month away gave me the time and space to breathe, and it changed how I think about leadership, communication, and creativity.

In Japan, silence speaks volumes. It can be harder to find the silence than when I lived there in my 20s. We returned to our favorite ancient temple in Nara, Todaiji, and we both felt oppressed by the enormous crush of foreign tourists, spoiling what was once a more reflective, peaceful spot.

Fortunately my husband spotted a quiet garden, Isuien, not too far from the famous temple. We found ourselves in a verdant oasis that seemed to hum with contemplation. No one rushed. No one filled the air with chatter. The artistic design and space felt sacred.

A few days later in Kyoto, I suggested we spend a day on Mt. Hiei, where I went early in my stay in Japan. I remembered it to be off the beaten track with very few tourists. It still is…quiet and sacred (it’s the cradle of Japanese Buddhism and the central temple complex, Enryakuji, is a UNESCO World Heritage site). I felt like I could breathe again.

Climbing a sacred mountain above Kyoto, we didn’t encounter anyone for most of our hike

As an extrovert who works with words, I don’t often slow down to listen to the space between the words. Japanese design, art, and conversation all value “ma” (間),the pause or moment of stillness that gives everything else its shape.

In business and communication, we often treat space as something to fill. We cram our schedules, our screens, and even our sentences. Yet true creativity often lives in the quiet margins, where new ideas emerge and connections deepen.

Japan reminded me that white space and silence are not emptiness. They are possibility. They give ideas room to breathe.

At Fertile Ground Communications, we help messages rise above the noise. Sometimes that means creating quiet for ourselves first. This trip reminded me that sometimes, what lifts a message higher is not more sound, but more silence. Creativity flourishes in reflection.

One of my takeaways from this marvelous bucket list trip is to listen to what’s most important in my life, to clear up the space so I can hear the temple bells.

When was the last time you allowed yourself to be still long enough to listen
for what wanted to grow next?

If you lead a team, run a business, or simply feel caught on the hamster wheel, plan a real break. Not a long weekend, but a true pause.

The work will wait. Your imagination will not.

Let’s make your message the one they remember. Fertile Ground Communications transforms complex ideas into clear, compelling messages that capture attention and inspire action. Whether you’re a small business, public agency, or nonprofit, we help your voice break through the clutter and connect authentically with your audience.