Monday, May 10, 2010

Day 99: Quiet Time


Today, I actually followed business hours, so, I am officially a business... (I mean it's not that hard working from 11am-5pm, as you may be thinking, so it's not that big of an accomplishment, but it's still something...)
I came home to an empty house... it's actually really nice to be alone for while. All I can hear is the sound of the refrigerator (a 15 year old one, obviously) and the sound of the keys on the keyboard... I know where every single person is at this moment and they won't be home for another half hour...
When I was 15, I could think of so much to do in the next half hour, and I have experienced so much in many half hours at that age, alone at home, (inviting friends over and taking trips to the liquor store at the end of the block) but, these days, it's just nice to listen to the quiet and enjoy being alone...
Now, I realize what it means to be young and stupid. I have made many mistakes and bad decisions in my life, but I don't regret any of them. They were the experiences I lived through that have brought me where and who I am today.
I remember one time I had a half hour alone at home... I had invited my "boyfriend" over to my house... We were hanging out upstairs in our townhouse and talking (yes, just talking!) when my dad came home. Hearing the door open, I, quickly, told the him to hide, not thinking about what else I could do... As my dad came upstairs wondering why I had locked the top lock on the door, he began to search the rooms as if I was bound to be hiding a guy somewhere. Obviously, at that point, I had turned red in the face and was walking around nervously. My boyfriend had hid in our walk-in closet and had decided that sitting down in the middle of it was the best possible way to hide... My dad walked into my room, looked suspiciously at me, walked over to the bathroom and checked in there, as I thought, "Ya, Iren, pack your shit, you're about to be thrown out of the house... don't forget your doll... what else should I take?" Since the closet was the only place left, he walked over to it and pushed the door open...
Now, before I continue, I want you to know that my dad is a very calm man... he is annoyingly calm and earthquakes can't even make him jump...

So, as he slowly pushed the door open, he looked down at the guy sitting down on my flowery roller chair in the middle of the closet... took a deep breath and said, (in Armenian)"Who are you?" My boyfriend looked up at him, scared shitless, (my dad is a big guy) and said, "My name is *****...I'm Iren's friend..." My dad replied, "Why are you sitting in the closet Iren's friend?" as ***** shrugged his shoulders... Being scarey calm, my dad turned to me, while I was all red in the face and without a heartbeat, he said, "pack your bags, you're leaving!" So, by now, tears rolling down my cheeks, I started to pack my bags and grabbed my doll ready to leave... As you can imagine, we were forbidden to see each other after that... and... he wasn't Armen...
Now, everyone's home and my half hour is up... I would've done so much with it at 15, but, these days, I'd rather write about what I did at 15. I would never take those half hours back for anything... They're priceless now.

Tip of the Day: Enjoy your time alone at home, no matter what it is you enjoy doing, don't take those hours of quiet for granted.

"In quiet moments when you think about it, you think about what is critically important in life and what isn't. Be wise and don't let good things crowd out those that are essential."
Elder Richard G. Scott

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