Quiet. It's something I thought I would never enjoy. The lack of noise. I couldn't stand the sound of the pounding of my heart. Noise. Always noise. Always boisterous boasting cleverly roasting egos (on more occasion than one, my own.) Speaking, complaining and not necessarily communicating. But the hum of the fan just now... I turned it down to hear the quiet not quite silence. The hum of the city. It makes me miss the still absolute oblivion that sometimes exists in the country. But, even then, the time is thin to sit undisturbed. Three years is just long enough to learn to love to learn... and I have learned how to be grateful for more than just quiet.