The iced coffee was smooth, mildly sweet and subtly refreshing. The pizza was warm and did well to support the stimulating caffeine. There she was, seated in what was objectively an impeccable surrounding, in a strange land none the less, not far from home, but a land that puzzled, thrilled and comforted her in the days that passed. Beyond the glass was a vast expanse of concrete space where man and machine made contact with earth from time to time.
As she sat staring out at everything and nothing in particular, it came to her that this seems a lot more familiar than she'd like to accept it is. There was everything around her and yet there was nothing with her or within her. Life has the uncanny ability to hold your hand and lead you on, nudging you to move forward by blowing your sails in what seems to be the right direction. This, only before a seething storm that leaves you completely unsettled, exhausted and lost. Sitting there, pensive and seemingly nonchalant, there was a battle going on inside her with no casualty except her soul.
Reflecting none of this in her face that faced the world, she was displeased by her emotional response to life's disquitening surprises. She expected herself to handle everything with the poise and strength that the world so generously associated her with, almost forgetting that she was but human and a very sensitive one at that.
She continued to read, page 29 and the book was discussing the cosmic truth of the universe and its inception. She felt a huge void within her, almost as infinite as the space that made up our universe. It was then that she caught herself break into a smile as it was largely amusing how the human soul can so easily feel empty despite everything that makes it whole.
