let it be

Living in an all female dorm is an experience, to say the least. It's a lot of singing at one in the morning, loud noises coming from the bathroom and screaming at a higher pitch than humanly decent because so-and-so and what's-her-face just got together after three, incredibly long weeks of awkward dates and non-committal making out. Not all the activities that happen within these white brick walls are ones I'd call my favorite, there is something to be said about the community of girls I live with and I've come to have a special fondness for my current living arrangement. This appreciation grew even more with the coming of my dear, fantastic roommate, who I can honestly say is a complete joy to have around and to share a living space with.

Still, sometimes I miss silence.

At home, I was usually the last to go to bed due to the other two members of the household's inability to even make it to the tonight show (which, now, I wouldn't exactly blame them for not wanting to stay up for it). The house would get quiet and the darkness of the night would leave a blanket of stillness over everything. With all the happenings of the day melting away with the passing hours, I had time of quiet to sit, think and be. It was nice and I took it for granted.
That quiet time doesn't exist anymore. Even with living on my own last semester, noise was everywhere and I quickly let silence become a low priority. Stress was an issue, but finding a place of peace in all the chaos just wasn't going to happen.

Here I am, at the beginning of a new semester. My situation hasn't become any more enlightened on how to achieve peace in the craziness of college, but I find myself longing for it more and more. I turn the radio off in the car. I hide my headphones and put my computer on mute. I find myself sitting quietly on my bed every spare moment and letting time slip away without a word or sound. Sometimes I check out of the situations I'm in and sit lost in thought. I'd like to say that I'm apologetic for the occasional zoning out or the time I've spent sitting around when I could be out "enjoying myself" on campus, but I'm not. In fact, I love it. Maybe you should try silence sometime too.