Quiet Places

An illuminating silence

By Thomas Feng

June 21^st, 2017

I walked around my neighbourhood trying to find the quietest place around my home in South Yarra after watching this video.

While I have a beautiful enclosed balcony which acts as a sun room and writing haven, I live on a main road and the ring of the trams; the blasting beats and horns of fancy swish cars passing by; the loud hammers banging on the plethora of construction sites and the occasional yell of drunken pedestrians mean that it is not the quietest place.

I slowly ambled up the hill to Como Park where the afternoon sun fueled the wild runs of well-groomed dogs across the oval. Children played footy with their families, trying to prove their competence until sweat tired them all out.

A shady, young man asked me how to get back onto the main road and after I gave him instructions he ran to his friend, who then decided to non-discretely urinate by the fence. Not the pleasant start I was hoping for.

I ambled back down the hill and entered Como House and Gardens. I suspected that it would be very busy on a Saturday afternoon but alas it was empty. The Como Stables cafe had a private function and there were no more tours for the rest of the day so no member of the general public could peek inside the historic site.

I meandered around the gardens aimlessly until my footprints were scattered all over before I sat alone on a lonely park bench reading a book, listening to the rustling leaves of swaying trees. My mind wandered astray wondering why I embarked on this quiet adventure.

Life around me has been shouting at me; I have had seldom time for myself and that's okay. You can never control the circumstances life throws at you and the only thing certain is that time and peace will heal any wounds.

This was the quietest place in my neighbourhood. It was the only place where I heard my own silence.

I walked the long way home, detouring through various lanes and streets until sunset as the train tracks gleamed gold in my eyes.

There was a reassuring calmness reminding me that everything would be okay. Finding my quiet place was an act of self-care, a necessary one at that. It made me remember how to be good to myself.

Sometimes you need an illuminating silence to truly listen to yourself. In an age where there is constantly noise around us: from the popping notifications of your phone to the television endlessly playing in the background at home to being surrounded by people and traffic, it is necessary to deliberately search for your own place of silence to discover your own undisturbed thoughts.

Sometimes you need an illuminating silence to truly listen to yourself.

I hope you've been good to yourself and I would love to hear from you about your time searching for your quietest place. As always, please write to me at t.feng95@gmail.com.