the earphones are staying off.

So, for the last few days, I've been staying off my earphones. No music while waiting for the bus, no tunes while walking from the bus stop to my dorm, not even while doing laundry or cooking. Just… silence. Well, not total silence—I hear my own footsteps, the doorknob turning, water boiling, the washing machine humming along. Even the whole chaotic mess of city noise: horns blaring, engines roaring, cars rushing past.

Usually, I’m that one-song-on-repeat kind of person, same as I stick to the same food over and over. Once I like something, it's all I want. Guess I don’t like stepping outside my comfort zone. But lately, I’ve hit a wall. I’m bored, but I haven’t found a new playlist—or the energy—to search for fresh tunes. So here I am, just drifting through all these sounds around me, zoning out, barely using a brain cell, until—bam—I’m standing in front of my room door. Didn't even realize I’d arrived. Might as well have a "kidnap me" sign on my forehead the way I'm walking home.

But... it feels real, like I’m finally in the moment. I hear my own breath, feel myself moving through time; and maybe that’s what mindfulness is. Who knows? All I know is, for now, the earphones are staying off.