She awoke with a start. Disoriented, she looked around, trying to get a sense of her bearings. She was huddled at her desk, her laptop open in front of her, supporting her arms. She had been so tired she’d gone to sleep on her laptop!
She sat up, trying to motivate herself to finish her work. But she was distracted, and thirsty…she got up to get herself a glass of water. Standing at the windowsill, she looked out into the inky blackness, letting the freshness of the liquid cool her aching throat. How late was it? She wondered. She glanced at her watch but was too tired to register the lateness of the hour. She looked out again, this time with a bit of clarity.
Suddenly, a light flashed across the window…with a start, she stepped back, the water splashing on the floor as the glass fell from her hand. She blinked, had she just imagined that? She peered into the night, trying to get some sense of what had just happened. Flash! It happened again! She pressed her palms nervously against the glass, trying to get as close as possible to it. This time she saw it distinctly, as if in slow motion.
Of course! It was a firefly! She smiled then, lazily wiping her misty breath off the pane. She felt something strange, a foreign feeling. She blinked at the night sky, wondering. Another firefly flashed, she felt the feeling again. She peered into the darkness, feeling rather than seeing the twinkle of hundreds of stars. She noticed how thin the crescent of the moon was. She felt it again, that foreign feeling. Only this time it was stronger.
She opened her window halfway, and felt a soft breeze on her cheek. A light spray of water teased her face and she realized that it was drizzling. She breathed in the fresh air, letting it sweep over her, fill her mind - all of it, the fireflies, the stars, the breeze, the rain. She let the serenity of the night’s stillness wash over her tired mind.
She felt the fatigue leaving her for the first time in weeks, and as her contentedness numbed her overworked brain, she realized what it was she was feeling…happiness.
Happiness, the most basic emotion, one she had forgotten to feel in such a long time. She had let all her tension, stress, tiredness, anxiety and despair make her run so much that she’d forgotten to walk. She’d forgotten to let her basic self dominate and in the process, she’d forgotten to be happy. Just simply happy, without reason, without thought…just pleasured at being there. And so, when it came to her unexpectedly that night, it brought an overwhelming sense of realization with it. So much so that she was forced to let that moment of pure, unbridled ecstasy overpower her intellectual, “logical” self.
She sat up, trying to motivate herself to finish her work. But she was distracted, and thirsty…she got up to get herself a glass of water. Standing at the windowsill, she looked out into the inky blackness, letting the freshness of the liquid cool her aching throat. How late was it? She wondered. She glanced at her watch but was too tired to register the lateness of the hour. She looked out again, this time with a bit of clarity.
Suddenly, a light flashed across the window…with a start, she stepped back, the water splashing on the floor as the glass fell from her hand. She blinked, had she just imagined that? She peered into the night, trying to get some sense of what had just happened. Flash! It happened again! She pressed her palms nervously against the glass, trying to get as close as possible to it. This time she saw it distinctly, as if in slow motion.
Of course! It was a firefly! She smiled then, lazily wiping her misty breath off the pane. She felt something strange, a foreign feeling. She blinked at the night sky, wondering. Another firefly flashed, she felt the feeling again. She peered into the darkness, feeling rather than seeing the twinkle of hundreds of stars. She noticed how thin the crescent of the moon was. She felt it again, that foreign feeling. Only this time it was stronger.
She opened her window halfway, and felt a soft breeze on her cheek. A light spray of water teased her face and she realized that it was drizzling. She breathed in the fresh air, letting it sweep over her, fill her mind - all of it, the fireflies, the stars, the breeze, the rain. She let the serenity of the night’s stillness wash over her tired mind.
She felt the fatigue leaving her for the first time in weeks, and as her contentedness numbed her overworked brain, she realized what it was she was feeling…happiness.
Happiness, the most basic emotion, one she had forgotten to feel in such a long time. She had let all her tension, stress, tiredness, anxiety and despair make her run so much that she’d forgotten to walk. She’d forgotten to let her basic self dominate and in the process, she’d forgotten to be happy. Just simply happy, without reason, without thought…just pleasured at being there. And so, when it came to her unexpectedly that night, it brought an overwhelming sense of realization with it. So much so that she was forced to let that moment of pure, unbridled ecstasy overpower her intellectual, “logical” self.
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