The Sounds of Silence

I love "quiet".

It's actually quite complex when you really take the time to sit still & listen.

It is!

When we first moved to the middle of nowhere ever so many years ago, I couldn't even sleep at night...the quiet was just SO loud! I was used to the city. Before we moved, I had a constant cacophony of trains, planes & automobiles, not to mention fire engines, etc! Noisy, mechanical, man-made things.

Then, we moved to the country. Not really, I mean, we didn't "buy the farm". Rather, we settled on a nice subdivision that USED to be a farm. To be honest, we do pass cows on a daily basis, but we have strict "No Livestock" rules here.

However, it is rural, I'll give you that. Once, when my best friend from High School drove out from the city to visit, she got so totally lost after an hour of looking that she threw her hands in the air, shouted, "Good lord, NO ONE lives out here" & went home. (Ah, the days before cell phones!)

But I love it.

Now.

At first, I couldn't get to sleep. It was SO still. And quiet. And dark.

I would lie in bed, snuggled up beneath a comforter & a cat, & listen. Did you know your ears can actually hurt a little when you strain them to hear? Eventually, I would fall asleep, after tossing & turning. But it didn't come easily. It's funny how you miss the noise.

It really didn't take me that long to adjust to the quiet though. And before you know it, I was hearing things.

No, not little voices :P

Crickets.

Coyotes.

Great Horned Owls.

Rain on the skylight.

And I began to appreciate the quiet. And I learned to listen to it.

Winter came, as winters do, & we got snow. Lots of it.

I love how quiet it is after a snowfall now. Sometimes, there is nothing more amazing than that stillness, as the snow glistens like diamonds strewn about in the sunlight and you hear...nothing. It's like a cloak wrapped about you. It makes me feel safe...the "snow quiet" does.

Then Spring came. And I learned to listen then too.

As the birds came back, I heard new songs. I will never forget my first meadowlark! (Well, after I grabbed the bird book & figured out what it was.) When I was little, we always looked for the first robin. Now, I know Spring is definitely coming when I hear the rattling call of the Sandhill Cranes; and the twee of the chickadees as they nest; & the morning song of the cardinal.

And Spring blossomed into Summer. With new stillness.

I renewed my love for star-gazing. Having grown up in the city, with the urban island of light, I was struck by the quiet beauty of the wide open skies. I can stand for hours & just watch the stars go by. If you listen...you can hear the meteor showers. I don't mean they actually produce an audible cosmic "shoop". It's just a feeling. But it's there.

Then Autumn fell. With a new lesson.

A symphony of colors surrounded me. As the leaves left the safety of their branches, you could hear them as they danced on the wind. You could hear them as they crunched underfoot. My favorite time of year.

And I sit here this morning, as the house comes to life & a thunderstorm rolls through, enjoying my coffee, some candlelight...and the quiet.