sounds of silence

You know those few minutes when you're laying in bed before you doze off.
When everything around you is, for the most part, silent? 
But then your ears adjust to the silence and you begin to hear everything. 
Maybe the ticking of a clock on the wall.
Then a group of girls laughing as they pass by outside.
Possibly the ceiling fan as it whirls around above you. 
But then your ears adjust to all those sounds. 
And now you hear the one sound you should be accustomed to. 
Your voice. 
But you hear it in your head because you're thinking. 
Then you think about the fact you can hear yourself think.
And it's rather unsettling.
So you try your hardest to fall asleep, but you keep hearing yourself.
And your thoughts shift from the moment you're in to the moments that make up your life.
You think of him or her.
You think of home.
You think of where your life is headed.
You think of all the "what ifs."
And, if you're lucky, after a few seconds true silence will take over.
And sometimes silence is exactly what you need.

NP: The District Sleeps Alone Tonight- The Postal Servie