Morning arrived again, just as it always does.
Morning, when all is possible, and no new troubles come to visit.
I heard the sound of a plane flying overhead on its way east or west. I heard the morning birds chirping. I heard the train’s moan when it headed north. I heard the furnace kicking in to warm the house. I heard the song “I am Your Lady” by Celine Dion. I heard the click of the lamp when I turned it on. I heard the wind.
I heard the creek of the steps, third step from the bottom, when I walked down the stairs. Positively delightful. It sounds just like an old house saying hello. The church bells of Our Lady of Mercy always please me.
Hearing is such a great gift, isn’t it?
Did you know that sound waves vibrate and stimulate thousands of tiny hair cells in the ear? The transformation of the vibrations into electrical impulses are perceived by the brain as sound.
I even heard the silence.
I adore the silence. I like shops without blaring music overhead. I no longer shop at the Pier One store near the mall because the loud desperate attempt at music hurts my ears. Does the manager think this noise is pleasing to any customer? Or does she or he care? I often wonder why some individuals are given management titles when they have not a clue how to manage the work or the staff members or how to please customers.
I like the quiet of driving in my car solo. I like the stillness of a child’s sleep and the Winter breath when it whispers to the pine trees. The snow fell silently to cover the rooftops and the lawns the recent season. All of that was seen was beautiful.
Sounds. Even the sounds of silence.
There was the clock from Vienna quietly ticking near the kitchen. When I activated the CD player, I heard Susan Boyle and Frank Sinatra. There just is not a day that concludes without Sinatra’s voice. It is butter. Or Dean Martin. Or Pavarotti.
I heard the refrigerator going on and the dishwasher in its quiet. I have never had such a quiet dishwasher and sometimes I go to the kitchen just to be sure it is actually running.
I heard the garage door of my neighbor opening and little Aria’s voice when she gaily pranced about before getting into the car. Her mom is expecting baby number two and everyone is over the moon about this event. Aria was three in February. Father Tim finishes his residency in June and will add M.D. to his name. He will be a fine doctor because he is brilliant, and most of all, has compassion. He has two qualities that are essential to successful interactions with patients.
He keeps telling me if there is anything I need to let him know. He has put in a new smoke detector for me and programmed the new TV for me. The family is quite wonderful. When they return to their family in Ohio, it will be a sad day for me. It will be a day full of the noise of leaving.
What are the sounds you notice today that are pleasing to you? What words to you want to hear from those you love? What tune will you sing in your mind off and on this day? I sing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” all the time in my mind. When you read this column is there is quiet surrounding you? Are you listening to the sounds of silence?