Over my nineteen years, I like to think I’ve learned a fair few things about myself. I know that my favorite color is purple, but I’ll take a nice yellow or green as a substitute. I’ve learned that I really love cheese in most of its forms, I’m really not great at keeping houseplants alive, and that I can base my opinion of a person solely on the shoes they wear.

(Not saying this is a great method, but it is surprisingly accurate.)

I know that I’ll always want to read my horoscope, even if it’s just to prove how wrong it was, and that I can’t resist the call outdoors of a sunny fall day. But today I realized something new, something I think I’ve known all along but could never put a name to. I’ve learned that my soul is quiet.

I don’t like loud, jarring music, no matter how great the rhythm. I would prefer acoustic guitar and softer tones any day. My favorite times of day are the early morning and late night when everyone is asleep and the world is at peace.

I will always choose a simple activity in favor of a more complicated one, a bike ride and a picnic rather than jet skiing or hang gliding. I think that my soul yearns for quiet, whether it’s peaceful solitude or restful, quiet companionship. Let me explain what I mean.

I think that everyone’s soul has a different volume, a different noise level. It exhibits itself in the noise they absorb and the noise they create. Some people like parties and music so loud they can’t hear themselves think, to drown out even the white noise around them.

They talk to fill up silence and their voice can always be heard in a crowd. There’s nothing wrong with having a louder soul, with loving to fill your world with stories and songs, laughter and noise. Their worlds are bustling, and they like it that way.

Then there are all sorts of middling loudness of souls. People who always have music playing, but never loud enough to be heard through their headphones. They always have a story to share, but they don’t always share it. They do their fair share of listening. Then there are those who have quiet souls, who move placidly throughout the world.

They are always more comfortable listening, the ones who will make eye contact when you’re telling a story to a group and nod for you to keep going, even if others have started talking over you. They are observers but not often contributors, especially in larger groups.

My dad, sister, sister’s friend, and I are on vacation right now in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The past few evenings, right at dusk, we’ve headed to a nearby beach to watch the sunset.

Tonight, we saw the most brilliant one yet. My sister and her friend were all for running around, taking pictures of each other and chatting, but faced with that much beauty, I could only be silent. The best way to experience things, for me, is quietly.

To soak them in and let them absorb into my veins. I have a quiet soul, and in a noisy world, peace and serenity are becoming all too rare. For all of you out there who also have quiet souls, don’t let the world force you to be loud. Make your own peace, and don’t forget to rest.