October 2000

“It’s oh-so quiet-It’s oh-so still…”
-Bjork, “It’s Oh-So Quiet”

Even when it was loud, the restaurant was quiet. There were no screaming children (for the most part), no manifestations of violent anger and no psychically turbulent episodes wherever I looked. No, this was just a restaurant, calm and serene, as much as restaurants can be considered “calm, or serene.” And now I’m back, waiting tables again, away from the daily burdens of my recent reality.

I brought too much of the non-profit home. There were always too many people with far too many problems, and too, too, few people to help. The building itself held so much pain, and so much noise! Confusion roars at the Human Services Building. The others can handle it better. Too, too much comes home, overriding my thoughts, invading my dreams.

So now here I am, back in a restaurant. A restaurant can be a busy place. A restaurant can be a noisy place. The sounds of silverware ringing on dishes, chairs re-adjusting, people talking and laughing.

Sometimes, though, it’s so quiet it’s like a dream. Yeah, looking around, it's like an uninspired, but pleasant dream. I’m sad not to be able to stay there . But I’m also glad to be away from there. “There” being, away from all that anguish..