What the Quiet Sounds Like Lately

Sometimes I notice it before I name it.

The way a room feels when nothing is happening.

No doors closing too hard.

No voices rising quickly.

No television filling the background just to fill it.

No constant movement.

Just air.

Just space.

Quiet used to be rare.

My childhood was loud.

Doors closing too hard.

Voices rising quickly.

Televisions on in the background.

Movement that never really stopped.

Silence was suspicious. It meant something was brewing.

Now, as an adult, I find calm in quiet.

The hum of stillness.

The absence of raised voices.

The steady rhythm of a house at rest.

My husband hates quiet. He fills it quickly. Music. Conversation. Background noise.

I understand it.

For some people, quiet feels like emptiness.

For me, it feels like safety.

It feels like no one is about to explode.

It feels like no one needs managing.

It feels like my nervous system can unclench.

Quiet does not mean something is wrong.

It means nothing is.

And that difference has taken years to recognize.

Lately, quiet sounds like peace.