NEPHART.COM

On a bright sunny afternoon,

I walked into a shop

full of beads,

incense,

and a young woman

with calm, meditative eyes.

Our eyes met.

She was holding

a long garland of beads,

blue and white,

with one hand resting

on a book,

some holy scripture,

sitting there

with such a calm demeanour.

I pointed at the beads.

“How much are these?”

With a gentle smile,

she said,

“Just ten pounds.”

“All right,

I’ll take them.”

Deep inside,

I thought,

I didn’t really need them,

but for the conversation,

let’s fake it.

The quiet world

inside her mind,

perhaps,

let’s shake it.

“Cash or card?”

she asked.

“Card.”

I paid.

She scanned them

through the system

and said,

“Thank you,”

in such a sweet way

that leaving the shop

suddenly felt difficult.

I wanted to stay,

not to buy anything,

just to remain

inside that incense,

that silence,

that strange calm

for a little longer.

Soon she approached me.

“Is there anything

in particular you like?”

I couldn’t exactly say,

Nothing.

You keep reading,

keep meditating,

and I’ll stand here

borrowing a little peace

from the room.

So I said,

“Nothing in particular.

I’m just browsing,

seeing if anything here

might fit into my life.”

I kept walking

around the shop,

holding the beads

I had just bought.

And somehow,

with every bead

resting against my palm,

the shop began

to disappear.

The shelves,

the incense,

the quiet music,

even her calm eyes,

slowly faded.

I was back

in my garden,

sitting quietly,

holding the same beads,

eyes open,

meditating,

just me.