The world has been a little quieter lately — and maybe that’s exactly what I needed. This small village isn’t as silent as I remember, but compared to where I’m coming from, it’s peaceful enough.
It’s been about two years since I last came here. Every time someone who knew me growing up sees me now and says, “Ah, you’re a big girl o,” it makes me smile.
For the past few days, I’ve forced both my body and mind to slow down. I’ve slept and woken up whenever I wanted. I’ve responded to things on my own terms, without urgency. Even cooking with this annoyingly slow cooker hasn’t bothered me — something that would normally drive me crazy.
I’ve eaten whatever I felt like: chocolates, ice cream, cookies — you name it. I’ve turned off most notifications and alarms, lost track of time, and just let myself be.
In a spur-of-the-moment decision, I left 'home' without my journal or laptop. So every idea that came to me, I either typed briefly into my phone or simply let it fade. I’ve resisted the urge to call people and share my 'life-changing' ideas, reminding myself: it can wait.
Because right now, I’m pausing.
Eight months into the year, I’ve achieved a lot, but I know I’ve barely scratched the surface of what I can do. After my final exams, the question “What next?” almost consumed me — to the point that I forgot to breathe.
This trip reminded me to breathe. To pause. To just be.
And the beautiful thing is: clarity came anyway.
As I write this, I’m already planning to step out for another bowl of ice cream, headphones blasting, walking down the untarred streets without a care in the world. My life is on pause — and when I push play again, it will be unstoppable.
But for now, I’m learning that sometimes it’s more than okay to just pause.