Give peace a chance

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Ever since the weather cooled off, we've been able to turn off the portable AC unit in our bedroom. And so, for the first time in several months, it's possible to have absolute peace and quiet at night.

I need to qualify that possible. We don't exactly live on an idyllic street where nary a peep is heard at night. No, we're a couple blocks from downtown, right off a major thoroughfare. So it's not uncommon for police sirens and thumping stereos to pervade our sanctuary.

Still, for a Saturday night at just after midnight, it's surprisingly quiet tonight. An occasional car drives by, but other than that there's no other noise outside. Even the neighborhood dogs have given the barking a rest, which is, to be frank, a surprise.

It's amazing, actually, how much peace and quiet can affect your mood and demeanor. Despite the backlog of projects at work, my dad in the hospital and everything else that works to drive my stress levels up, I feel uncommonly calm and restful. It's a nice feeling, but one I know won't last, so I'm enjoying it while it does.

Also, I have to mention our ceiling fan. Even with the cooler weather I like to have the air moving, so it's running on low now. And it's not as silent as I swear it was six months ago. But tonight, it kind of sounds like crickets (you have to hear it, really) which adds to my feeling of tranquility.

I doubt I'll ever write much on how calm and unstressed I am, because usually I wear stress like a crown. So for tonight I'm going to enjoy it, not question it.