Balance

Over the last few weeks I have been lucky enough to find my internal balance, and own quietness again - and this has been largely facilitated by the oasis house I am sitting in central Amsterdam.

To put things in perspective, I live in a house with five people. This quickly translates into 10+ people as soon as anyone decides to bring friends around. So often, when I am going home from work, I have no idea how many people I will encounter when I open the door, how many conversations I will need to make before I reach my quiet oasis on the fourth floor and untill very recently, the notion of 'alone time' was indeed just that, a notion.

Although I love being around people, I find that at this stage of my life after a crazily interactive day and night programme, the last thing I want to do is go home and entertain the troups. The absolute last thing I want to do is to greet another group of people at 11pm when all I want to do is crash on my bed.

And it has nothing to do with my roomies - who are wonderful. It has to do with me, and what I need.

Hence when my colleague kindly suggested I could housesit her place, I jumped at the opportunity for peace and quiet.

Thank goodness.

Living alone is sooo perfect for me. As a people person, I do not really need to have constant company because my lifestyle ensures that. But coming home to silence, and getting up with my own 'musicals' regime is MAGICAL.

As is the idea that I can invite whoever I want over, whenever I want - instead of having people come to the house and having 10 people, when I invite people living solo - I can ensure the people I want to be there are ACTUALLY there.

I am feeling so balanced, so happy.

So my number one resolution in 2007 is to live alone in a place in the centre of Amsterdam - NO MATTER WHAT THE COST.

Seriously, I would rather eat less for this kind of freedom.