A Lovely Evening Before My Exam

Here’s a bit of an impromptu write up that you weren’t expecting! 🙂

Tomorrow, I have my final sit-down exam for the semester (and then, only two more assignments to hand in before the end of the month). While this exam period felt oddly long, right now I’m blissfully enjoying a beautiful and calm summer evening. I’m writing this on my phone.

My window is wide open and fresh air is coming in. The air is cool and crisp. The wind is blowing occasionally and the leaves outside make this sound that almost sounds like I’m at the beach … really sends me back to childhood for some reason (maybe because there was less noise pollution then).

I’ve lit a candle and turned my lights off. Not for any particular reason, but the whole open window / lights on combo invites all sorts of bugs into my room. And then I tend to freak out! So, I’ve discovered, no lights = no bugs. The candle does add a lovely ambiance though. Who decided candles were over? (“Fire hazard” I can hear my dad typing).

Anyone who grew up in Kosovo knows the fun “mas luftes” times when we would get electricity shortages. Besides the annoyance that was missing my scheduled cartoons on TV, I think I look back on those times with at least some nostalgia (who doesn’t?). Like tonight, there’d be little noise, candles, and me and Jon would play Shtet-Qytet together, or whatever the crazy fad at the time was, until the electricity came back.

Another thing it reminds me of is summer with my grandparents in their house. It would also get very cool and quiet in the evenings, and I always liked to turn the lights off and gather us all up for a chat in the kitchen. Always had a thing for mood lighting and setting up a cozy environment for chats. The window would always be open. I remember because it was behind one of the sofas, and whoever sat there was always at risk of bumping his / her head on the frame.

I invite you to try turning your lights off one evening, and relying only on a candle, no TV, no other electronics. There’s something really soothing. And, a candle really does light up the whole room quite well. Then, also open your window wide and see how that feels. Then listen. Earlier, I could hear some calming music from one of my many unknown neighbors. Right now, I hear a baby crying. I’ve never seen this baby, but she lives on my floor and always cries around this time.

What a lovely evening!

Rrita