Too Loud

It's almost midnight, and I am outside sitting on my deck alone.

It is quiet out here.

Is it just me, or is everything too loud? I mean...EVERYTHING.

I feel like everyone just needs to stop talking, stop debating, stop analyzing, stop opinionating, stop being offended, stop arguing, just stop. And be quiet. And be still.

Just be.

And then I think everyone needs a group hug. 

Or maybe at least to sit across a table with good friends and not debate, but just laugh. Laugh loudly, deeply, raucously over something really funny.

Or maybe take a walk at dusk with someone you love, and talk about a great book you have just read.

Go watch a mindless movie, and fill up on popcorn and chocolate.

Everything has gotten too loud, too intense, too much. 

People's hearts are on their sleeves, and we are all bumping into each other.

It's okay not to debate. It's okay not to give an opinion on everything. It's okay to just stop, and breathe, and listen, and love.

Sometimes all you need to do is look into the face of a stranger. Maybe it's the face of someone a different color, of someone with different beliefs, of someone with a completely different background. 

But just smile. 

Not one of those quick, just passing through smiles. 

But a warm, sincere, smile that spreads across your face.

A smile that says, "We may be very different in a lot of ways, but I'll bet we are probably alike in a lot of ways too. And I want to brighten your day."

Sometimes, for a brief moment, it can be that simple.