Tranquillité

It's about 2.32am as I write this with a bowl of cereal as a late night snack, and I'm struck by just how quiet it is right now.

I don't get many moments like this. I'm usually surrounded by sounds, voices and music (not that I'm complaining) and it gets tiresome after awhile. So for now, quiet is a welcome respite.

Back when I was in Uni and I was living on my own, I remember having to get used to things being quiet. In the beginning, coming home and hearing only silence was an unnerving experience to a 20-year-old guy who'd always been surrounded by people and the sounds they make.

Quite jarring. I had to leave the TV on. Put some music as fodder. Talk to myself (in the "I am not crazy" way) just to keep the silence bearable.

Eventually though, I grew to enjoy the quiet. And as I did so, I probably grew to be a little bit more at ease when it came to being alone with myself. And that allowed myself to just be.

I remember when I came back to Malaysia, I had an interesting time adjusting to all the noise that had suddenly returned. In fact, I used to stay up til the dead of night just to collect myself.

Today, I've come full circle. Once again I'm surrounded by the excitement of activity and all the noise it entails. And I enjoy all this tremendously, but I sometimes worry that the lessons I've learnt on being alone might be forgotten in the buzz of it all.

That's why moments of unforced quiet like these are nice. If only as a reminder that I don't have to feel lonely when I'm alone.

Ah. The Quiet. She's an acquaintance of mine. Everytime I visit her, I am reminded of how beautiful she can be.

Jere