From Hans’ blog

I love reading other people’s journals. It’s such a great way to see people at their most personal – there are so few people who want to shade their journal to appeal to those who may read. It’s theirs, after all, and who’s to stop them from what they want to say. Anyway, Hans Latta, one of the fellows on this campus that while I may not talk to him every day, would never have any qualms just sitting and talking to whenever, wrote something that was related to the stuff I wrote a couple days ago. Anyway, enjoy.

I just love those times when you encounter quiet beauty.

It happened tonight at Benjamins. We were out in celebration of Brad’s first job, and I had the distinguished title of D.D. (due to the security shift I am working presently). It was such a great night with a great group. But, I must admit, I particularly enjoyed being near this one particular girl.

Attraction is a strange thing. When you have known and been friends with someone for a long time, attraction tends to take very subtle and sometimes strange forms. But in my experience, when you only know a very little about someone, attraction can take only one of two possible forms: either it is an acute, animal attraction that wrenches you towards the person, or it is a lengthy reveling in her total beauty which pleasantly compels you towards her.

I live for the latter kind, for it is both a soothing yet unbinding attraction. There’s a certain unknown mystery surrounding a reserved calmness. And every slight smile, or every half nervous hair adjustment, or every shared glance; all give cause to delicately savor the complete moment. But best of all—and unlike the common, base attractions which tend to fleet as quickly as the girl—encounters with quiet beauty linger like the aftertastes of a soft red wine. They remain with me well afterwards—soothing and comforting like some looping lullaby. I wish—instead of enduring this hellishly long security shift—I could have simply returned to my room and its warm bed and just fallen asleep immediately.

And yet, with the wonderful tranquilizing nature of this evening already beginning to wane, and with the tediousness of my security shift beginning to set, I can still smile and say to myself, “tonight I saw beauty.”

What a wonderful evening.