Twenty-Two Days

In the bustle and hum and velocity of three weeks, there is some peace. The peace in enjoying places for the sake of enjoyment. Feeling a sense of community with people you barely know. Never have I met so many people. Never have I felt so welcomed and warmed by strangers. Diverse, intelligent and open-minded people. Warm people and warm places.

Enjoyment for it's own sake. We're all here for the same reasons.
__________

In the garden at night we sit and I can see the shimmer in his eyes by the moon. He pulls his chair up to mine and studies me for a minute. "Tell me everything," he says. I wish I could. I wish there was such a thing as knowing without telling. Words are barriers. Adjectives and nouns and verbs aren't enough, especially since introspection occurs without words getting in the way. We're all more than anyone else thinks we are.

"Where should I start?" My heart is smiling. We are connected despite oceans and miles and miles of earth. There is so much more to say and do. Time is a gift that doesn't last.
__________

In the moment for once. The moon is full and the tide washes over us as we forget the world back home. Nevermind the restrictions and mores and conventions of our previous lives. I am naked in the open air, smiling up at the black sky with nothing to lose but inhibitions. Our history doesn't matter in this place they call Paradise.
__________

I can't tell whether I've changed or everyone else has stayed the same. People are secure in their monotony because it is safe. Security blankets wrapped tightly around frightened masses. Safety is over-rated. Were they like this before?

More importantly, was I like this before? Change is linear.
__________