Shhhh.....

I am sitting in a perfectly quiet room, okay except for the sound of the keyboard. I often forget how refreshing quiet can be.

For my senior capstone class, we had to spend one week under the strictest communication depravation. That meant no talking on the phone, no radio, no television, no reading (except class assignments), no internet and no writing.

As the week progressed, there were numerous paths that people took. There were those who just outright cheated. They decided that they just couldn't take being so isolated from the world and just gave up. Then there were those who made a good effort to abide by the rules, but were still irritated about the assignment. Finally, there was the group who admittedly missed the communication, but was comfortable without the noise.

I definitely fell into the last group. Cheating during the week was completely unavoidable, but I found the experience to be immensely enlightening. Having a week during my senior year, in the midst of the job search and the uncertainty, where I had nothing left to do, but think was exactly what I needed. I found it amazingly reassuring to know that I could be on my own, isolated from the rest of the world and be okay.

While, I am not in a rush to spend another week in communication depravation, I find that taking a break gives me an opportunity to recharge my batteries. I return to the hustle and bustle of my daily life with a fresh perspective.