Wanting a little bit of nature and peace

Lately the days have been nothing but exploration. I love such days, as much as I have noticed that my body is begging me to slow down a bit, especially with the lack of eating and proper hydration through such explorations as the weather hits 30. I have definitely been neglecting myself in the pursuit of discovery and the creation of art. But I guess that's part of the process really, isn't it? What artist doesn't to some degree sacrifice something in turn for something created in the end? I have been running around with a backpack that only seems to be increasing in weight, I can feel the aches in my shoulders at the end of the days, the longing for bed. Today, I fell asleep almost immediately after drinking a cup of coffee. Taking a little two-to-three hour long nap by the air conditioner. I never take naps, but I think that sums up the tiredness I have started to feel, especially with the pursuit of longer days as I try to wake up earlier; my sleep times only being late. Sometimes it feels like there are not enough hours in the days, with the large sum of interests and curiosities I hold. It's rare that I feel that in a moment I am truly still.

Though, there are areas I have found in which feel like time stops to some degree. Churches, little parks around them where nature has taken over. Less people, and those who are typically of a religious belief that holds a certain degree of stillness to them and their movements. The slower living kind. I've taken quite an appreciation for such gentle individuals. Perhaps having spent weeks at a time running through the dense Yerevan each day, growing tired of the crowds and endless noise on the streets. Today I had a beer and some food by a church, it was quiet, far from the roads. I could feel the peace here. Even down to the moment it began to storm: the rainfall with quite some strength to it at first. The claps of thunder not too loud. The freshness in the surrounding garden hit the nostrils instantly. That beautiful floral smell came out of nowhere, and I felt I had highly missed it. Where much of Yerevan and its surroundings are just rocky landscapes, dry and dusty. The remnants of the Soviet Union decaying within it in the form of random structures and factories.

It's interesting to observe people in similar locations, to see how people find peace in such environments in different ways. Some sit at the churches, either inside or outside, just looking around. Their stances show their stress levels, I think. Some a bit more stiff, others a little more relaxed and carefree. Others sit with stances that show some sort of sophistication to them, not necessarily that of stress or relaxation, but perhaps with a certain interest in how they are perceived by others. Priests walk in varying manners, some are quite interesting in how they almost glide across the floor with their robes obscuring their feet and movements. Others rush to and from places. Many look as if they had just woken up and couldn't find the energy to be in a hurry. Almost as if they are completely aware of an after life and that there is no hurry. Either way, it's interesting to be in such places and see how people perceive time and their passing through it. There's a lot to learn from being still and observing.

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