walden

Today was the last of the standardized tests. Well at least for now. It was ACT time today, which was a nice break from the SAT; something fun to shake things up. It was a fun way to spend one's morning.
After the test it was completely stagnant and dead outside. There was no noise at all. I was waiting for my mom to pick me up from school. I was waiting for about 15 minutes and I noticed how uncomfortably quiet it was. But then it became really nice. All you could hear were the small chirps of the birds, barely disturbing the rhythmic waves of silence. It was different from everyday life - there is noise all over the place. Here is a small list of the many banal places we go to everyday that have noise: the grocery store, the movie theatre, the frozen yogurt place, the dentist, the post office, Home Depot, the bathroom, the airport, and the warehouse. Even libraries are filled with slow churning of heaters and inner pipes and the awkward noise of children turning book pages.
But when I was outside for that brief period, there was no man-made noise. No cars. No other people but me. No yelling or music. Just me, the static, humid air, and nature. I could think my thoughts. And I felt inspired to write this post. And I've kept it in mind all day, just thinking about those quiet moments in the humidity.
It's a great way to dump out all of the foolishness that clutters your head and accumulates over days, weeks, months, years, etc. Sometimes, while we love society, we have to get away from it sometimes and think our own thoughts. Then we can really be energized to be contributing members to the world. That's how stress builds up and tears people down.
Don't crash and burn because of stress; do a little bit of what Thoreau did and get outta town.