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A Defense of the “Quiet Ones”
“Why are you so quiet?” This reoccurring question has haunted me my entire life and will, I imagine, continue to haunt me. As many of you may know or have come to understand, I am an introvert. I prefer listening to speech, small huddles or one-on-one conversations to large groups, renewing my energy in solitude…
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Becoming
Dear friends, How are you faring? Please forgive my silence recently. Due to fatigue and artistic stagnancy, listening to music has felt more cathartic than blogging in the past two months. Regarding academics, I’ve settled into the rhythms, the pace of classes and after-school routines, of the second semester. Although the heaviness of workload oscillates, I have (relatively) adjusted to…
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“Give My Heart”
Merry Christmas, friends!One of my favorite Christmas carols is “In the Bleak Midwinter.” I cherish its poetic form, its earnest melody, and the lyrics of sincerity and adoration. As I sang the song one late evening, with the glow of a candle dancing on my face, I felt struck by the final stanza:: “What can…
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Care for Oneself
Dear kindred spirits, I cannot believe November is passing. Time is so strange, so swift, these days. Writing and blogging, in these past few months, has proved a more difficult pursuit than I’d imagined. My headspace is cluttered with the immediate and fatigued by the strains of studies and people. I want to write and…
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Notes from People Watching
As I gazed out my car window one summer evening this week, I was confronted with how full the world is of activity, of movement. I passed little houses and claustrophobic apartments, sheltering the heads of people unknown. I glimpsed men and women walking, sweeping, talking, reading, engaging in quiet routines. Windows radiated with warm…
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Vignette of Thomas
The room was dark, claustrophobic. Faces, flushed with awe, and voices, lilting with eagerness, undulated across the room. A man sat in the corner, hidden from view. The awful sounds, noises even fastened doors could not contain, crowded him. Like a knife, they pricked his skin. A chasm had cleaved between him and the others.…