The Quiet Between Stems

I spent this morning trying to fix a leaky faucet in the kitchen. It was one of those small, nagging tasks I had been putting off for weeks. I kept dropping the wrench, and the sound of metal hitting the floor felt incredibly loud in the silence of the house. Eventually, I just stopped. I sat on the floor, leaning my back against the cabinet, and listened to the house breathe. It is strange how we spend so much of our lives trying to fill the gaps with noise or movement, fearing the moments when nothing is happening. But in that stillness, I realized that being alone isn’t the same as being empty. Sometimes, you have to step away from the work and the noise to actually see where you are standing. It is in the quiet, unhurried spaces that we finally stop performing and just exist. Does it ever feel like the world is too loud, and you just need a patch of gold to hide in?

Nirupam Roy has captured this feeling perfectly in his work titled “Alone.” It reminds me that there is a profound strength in standing apart from the crowd. When was the last time you truly enjoyed your own company?