...of being alone....

          When you live in a household of 22 things can get real merry. So much so that sometimes you just crave a different kind of merrymaking. The kind that involves just you, a book, a writing pad, a pen, cigarettes and a coffee joint.

          It’s lovely to be amid all this different noise! Having all these people around me who cannot intrude, interrupt, much less sit across from me uninvited. I don’t have to pay any attention to my surroundings, don’t have to care if the kids are up to no good. I just immerse myself in my book. Or just gaze at people walking by. Or write. Or do absolutely nothing – not even think. Total bliss!

          Then I moved out of the main house into my own little flat at the back of the property. My flat is at the furthest end of the corridor. In the event of an emergency where I can't use the stairs, I'd have to jump off from the corridor - not a very comforting thought! Anyway, this move gave me a different perspective of "noise" and "solitude".

          You see, I'm the ONLY one of the 22 who has two rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room all to myself albeit the entire floor space of my flat is about half the size of my sister's bedroom. Living here all alone, in a flat nestled snugly against a hill, a stone's throw from the secondary jungle, gave "solitude" and "noise" a totally different meaning. I could actually hear myself think for once!

          I get pleasant nature "noise"...although I must admit that it's pretty scary at times. And it gets too spookily quiet sometimes! There were also times I wished sound wouldn't travel so far and so well - the times when I heard my neighbours squabbling in the dead of night for one. And the ringing of the telephone suddenly seems so loud! As loud as my thoughts....

          Being an extrovert with introvert hobbies, I love this life of mine right now. I find that I could articulate my thoughts easily. Ideas and words just flowing smoothly, unchecked, uninhibited, untiringly. I get to read, write, rant, ramble almost uninterrupted. My personal Utopia!

          Indeed, it's lovely to be alone yet not lonely. Great company always available merely 20 steps away. My grandkids shouting out their "I love you"s from their apartment stairs on their way to and from school. Them chatting with me through their bedroom window. 

          I find that I no longer need the coffee joints. These days, it's just me, Davidoff [white, no sugar], cigarettes, PC, book, pen and writing pad....  :)

           p/s: I love visits from friends ;)