The Power of Quiet Companionship

There is a not very well-known actor in Los Angeles, USA, named Chuck McCarthy. Presumably he doesn’t earn much, so he wants to earn extra money. One day, on a whim, he developed a business channel: walking home with strangers by appointment, charging $7 per mile.
　　This seemingly ridiculous business turned out to be very prosperous, even in short supply. Chuck McCarthy simply walks home with customers who make reservations, occasionally chatting and listening to each other. More often than not, they were silent all the way, shoulder to shoulder, walking for a while.
　　Su Hei, a well-known expert in emotional self-healing, said that walking side by side without saying anything or sharing anything, just walking quietly together is already a kind of healing, and the companions will feel at ease and feel happy. She calls this effect “static energy.”
　　In life, sometimes this kind of static energy is really needed.
　　An older sister in my 40s upstairs was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer two years ago. Her son used to live on the other side of the city for the convenience of going to work. Ever since he knew that his mother had this disease, he took the bus to the subway and then the bus every day after get off work. It took him nearly 2 hours to come home, and he went out to the company after 6 o’clock the next morning. Sometimes I saw their mother and child walking on the road, and I followed them for a long time without hearing them say a word. Sometimes when I went to their house, I saw mother and son sitting in the living room, mother watching TV and son reading, and there was almost no verbal communication between mother and son.
　　One morning, when it was raining heavily, I saw him go out, so I let him sit in my car. I said, “Actually, you came back every day like this, and you didn’t say a few words with your mother.” He smiled and said, “Yes, I don’t really have much to say, but I just feel that she will be with her. Be better, even if you don’t say anything.” I nodded to show that I understood what he said.
　　During the summer vacation when I was in junior high school, my mother took me to the county town to buy books in a minibus in the village. The driver of the minibus was Mingzi, a young man from our village. As soon as the minibus arrived at the county seat, it collided with another vehicle. The passengers in the car got out and left, but my mother kept me sitting there. For a long time, she occasionally fanned Ming Zi to comfort him not to rush. I was really impatient and urged my mother to leave. My mother had to wait for the traffic police to come and take care of things before she took me away. Afterwards, my mother said to me: “Mingzi has only been driving for a while, so he must be a little nervous when something like this happens, and the owner of the other car is very strong. We are there to accompany him. Although we can’t say much, we can at least give him some strength.” Today, many years later, Mingzi already has her own transportation company. Every time she sees my mother, she respects her very much and always says: “That time you quietly accompanied me by the side of the road for so long, I will never forget it in my life.”
　　Friends who have children may have had this experience. When a child is a baby, if he is with you, he can sleep soundly all the time. However, even if you get up quietly, within a few minutes, he will wake up and cry. If you fall asleep again, he will continue to sleep again. That is, his body is asleep, but he can feel your company.
　　Gu Cheng wrote in “Front of the Gate”: “The grass is growing its seeds/The wind is shaking its leaves/We stand and don’t talk/It’s very beautiful.” This kind of quiet companionship mood is really very beautiful .
　　Sometimes, we lack nothing but such quiet company and subtle static energy.