One order of "silence" please

Have you ever had a day of pure silence?
Well I had...

It happened few days ago (just before these rainy-floody days)

As a daily routine after a hard day's work: I ate my dinner, took a bath and opened my laptop to check my e-mails from friends and elsewhere, check on Mr. 106 and do some work reports that are not yet due (i am avoiding "last minute-panic attack moments") then suddenly at exactly 11pm...the power was off. Complete "black out" (only in our village).

As a reaction, i hurriedly called Meralco and politely asked the lady who answered the phone for the reason "Why?" She gave me a very long-rehearsed explanation which i know she's reading from a script and which half of it i did not understand simply because half the time, i was not listening and instead paying attention to my mom who was also panicking, and to my cat who had his paws at my PJ's and to my dad who kept on asking me where did i put the batteries for the flashlight. All i could remember from the lady's long speech was "blah blah blah...it would take 7 hours to repair so the power would be restored by 6am". Like a robot, i politely said thank you."

Automatically, my dad and our houseboy went to the garage to set up our generator. I...following my dad with his flashlight. I have to get out of the house to avoid my mom's persistent question as to why Meralco has to do a maintenance repair or whatever at 11pm just when people are about to go to sleep after a long day under the sun.

While waiting for my dad, i went to our terrace to have some fresh air. I looked up. Since i can't see anything around me i just looked up. Wow...there were stars! Millions of stars staring down at me and the air was cold. I saw the moon too. It sounds silly but at that moment i wanted to greet the moon and say "how have you been? it's been a long time since i last saw you" I then went back to where my dad was and told him "Pa, we don't need generator for tonight. I think we'll do just fine since the weather is fine, in fact it's a bit cold so we can still sleep soundly even without air-con. I also don't have any urgent reports to finish and we're all sleepy so, we'll be alright tonight."

And yes, we were alright.

But we did not go to bed right away. Instead, we stayed outside...looking up at the stars.

When i was in college, i always love looking up at the stars and at the moon. It calms me. Whenever i would see the "three stars lined up" i would remember my Uncle Lolo ( I call him Sangko Gel same with my mom) . He told me so many stories about stars. He call the "three stars lined up" as "Tatlong Maria" or (three Mary's in english)

When i started working and have my own business, i found no time to look up at the stars again. I am preoccupied..always busy. My eyes are always glued on my computer screen or on papers and books. When i need to calm down myself, i listen to my Ipod or I watch DVD. I no longer did...or rather i forgot to do what i used to do.

The whole neighborhood was quiet...even the dogs.

The cries of the crickets fill the air. I could not see them...but i could hear them.

My mom and dad were silent too. Like me, they were just looking up.

I think none of us wanted to break the silence.

Like a china that we have to hold carefully or else it would break. So fragile.

At that moment, i realized the true beauty of silence.

Everyday, i am surrounded with noise of every kind.

I also found out another type of noise that you would not physically hear but disturbs and forms an enormous sound in your mind...it's the noise coming from text messages and e-mails.

I must admit SMS and e-mails more often give me pressure. (well except for those coming from my caring friends and e-mails that does not require immediate attention).

Also...my brain can be a "nagger" sometimes. It automatically reminds me of things which i have to do everyday.

How it feels good to not to have any gadget in my hand.

No Ipod (it's with my friend who would do the "storing" for me)
No laptop
No cellphones (i turned them off to save the battery)

I don't have anything that night...except silence.

For weeks, i have been complaining about my tired body, stress, tension and etc, etc.

I even went to see the doctor.

I never thought that what i really need is a doze of silence...and a bunch of stars to heal me.

Now i think i owe Meralco, for making me realize again and remember things i unintentionally ignored for the past years.

Silence...i think i will need another order of that.

How nice it would be if out of the 7 days in a week, there's one day reserve for "silence".


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