Anybody Else?

We’re so afraid of being alone with ourselves that we feel the need to bear our souls to a stranger. 

Maybe that sounds like a pessimistic or bitter outlook, especially coming from the voluntary mute on the night bus. 

Think what you must, but I believe in the sacred act of losing oneself in thought on occasion. 

It’s a vulnerable yet incredibly grounding experience that doesn’t involve telling your seat mate your blood type. 

This isn’t to say that there aren’t worthwhile exchanges with the outside world; there are some. 

These fleeting moments truly are meaningful, but that’s honestly all they ever are: fleeting moments. 

It’s never some one-sided conversation about knitting that lasts for twenty straight minutes. 

It’s about moments of pure human connection, about letting those moments pass naturally. 

Sometimes solitude in the mind is good for us, makes us think. 

It makes us savor what matters, makes us appreciate simple things. 

Like necessary breaths between the nonstop monologues of fellow strangers. 

Or admiring the beautiful city lights out the window. 

I wish I lived where that was normal. 

Where it’s okay not to talk constantly. 

Does anyone else get worn out?

Anyone else crave peace, quiet?

Or is that scary?

To be still?

Be silent?

Shhh…

THE END