In the quiet

Waking up slowly today. Stayed up a bit too late last night finishing a book I have been working on for a week now. It felt good to finally put the story to rest and find out what happened to those characters. Life is not tidy like that. There are so many unfinished stories about all the people we meet, spend time with, cross paths and walk a bit with and then carry on about on our own journeys. Sometimes the beginning is the end but other times life has a funny way of circling back again to familiar faces with new stories and we get to share life and fill in the missing chapters. One never knows how any of it will begin or start but that is part of the adventure.

Life has felt a bit flat lately. I suppose that some of that is the monotony and pattern of work. A chef's work is never done as people have this annoying addiction of eating every single day, at least in this country. Already my mind is turning to my food prep and to do list for today but I still want to carve out a few moments to write here before I hit the road. I sometimes reflect at the end of the day at how simple and uncomplicated my life is and find myself equally thankful for the quiet and a bit concerned at the stark difference it is now compared to my not so recent past.

People do come and go. There are seasons to us all and things change over time. This seems to be a chapter in my life where old things are ceasing, slowly fading away without a foreshadowing of what is to come next. All of my friends, myself included, seemed to wrapped up in the details of our lives that getting together is not the priority it once was. They drift through my mind at different times of the day but I don't quite feel like reaching out to disturb the quietness that I have found. It is not a matter of social laziness but I see no need to continue to expend energy to reassure myself that I am known and appreciated. I accept that I am and find myself content with this more tranquil time. I know there are many others who would envy this peace that I have found.

As this year grows to a close, the pace will be picking up and there seems to be so many things that are slowly filling up my calender in the next two months. I know that it will be busy with family, friends, holidays, traveling and of course cooking for all the year end festivities and events at work. Instead of rushing through this space to get to the other side, I believe I am going to enjoy this quiet. I have time to listen to music, practice piano, take long drives in the country, read selected books, wander around the city taking photos, sit at my coffee shop, watch the leaves fall off my trees and reflect on what was, what is and what will be. Not having something planned for every single day of the week is a good thing and no longer strikes that sense of missingness  that it once did.

I work. I rest. I spend time with myself. I enjoy this life I am making. All the other things will come in their time.

daemon