So in Lent I realized that certain things in my life militated against my desire to cultivate an inner silence and its attendant prayerfulness. I found caffeine to be chief among these enemies of silence. It is just plain hard to be still and know that He is God when your hands are shaking (okay I admit, my previous caffeine consumption probably ranked higher than average -- but still). So...I weaned myself to decaf. And I have to say I am glad that I did. I found that the sun still rises in the morning...and so do I. Decaf actually tastes exactly the same as regular. And more importantly the urgency and at times outright anxiety with which I too often approach my day has been greatly reduced. I find that I am able to cultivate a deeper and abiding peace and stillness...It probably also helps that I am driving less (but that is a story for another day).

So, if you too find that inner silence is a completely foreign concept-- try decaf. It's a place to start.