sense of sound – heatherfromthegrove

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
― Henry James

A South Florida summer can be very, very hot and humid. Stepping out of an air conditioned home, a wave of heat will hit you like a ton of bricks and, if you wear eyeglasses, you’re momentarily blinded as the steam fogs up your lenses. But, if you’re lucky enough to have a yard full of trees, you can actually enjoy a summer afternoon outside, despite the humidity.

What a difference a tree makes!

Sitting under my grove of bamboo trees, I close my eyes to feel the warm, gentle breeze as it makes contact with my skin. Hanging on a nearby tree branch, the Woodstock chimes harmonize with the rustle of leaves ― the only music I need to hear. I breathe in the smell of freshly cut grass. The lawn feels soft against my bare feet. The wispy, yet majestic, royal ponciana trees form a canopy over the entire house, dropping vibrant red flowers over the garden. I begin to crave something, but what? Cherries. That’s it. Cherries always remind me of summertime. I bought some from the market just the other day. As if reading my mind, my husband (who has been watching me from the kitchen window, enjoying the sight of my serenity) brings out a bowl of cherries for me to taste. He sits in the chair beside me and together we savor the ripe fruit and silently enjoy the sound of quiet.

And here, in the northern hemisphere, summer has just begun.

“Then followed that beautiful season… Summer….
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Our royal ponciana trees (with the red flowers)

Top photo (cherries) via dacha.com.

“That innate love of melody, which she had inherited from her ballad-singing mother, gave the simplest music a power which could well-nigh drag her heart out of her bosom at times.”
― Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles

A wise woman once told me that sometimes people have selective hearing – they hear only what they want to hear, perhaps because they don’t want or don’t care to know. This same woman told me that it was important that I learn not only to hear, but also to listen – because when we focus, our sense is heightened, enabling us to notice all the subtleties and nuances that we would have missed, had we not made the effort. Her frame of reference was music. As she spoke, her voice was quiet, soft and melodic. She whistled as good as any nightingale. She only whistled when she was sad. It lifted her spirits up. She sang when she was happy. When she sang, she would close her eyes, her lids fluttering slightly. Her singing was perfectly tuned and simply lovely. I have never forgotten her voice, nor the sound of her whistling.

She gave me one more piece of sage advice, almost as an afterthought – but now, I realize that it was what she most wanted me to remember.

“Each day, you must take the time to listen to the sound of quiet. Just do it. You will understand why, when you do.”

So, if I were asked to narrow down my most favorite sounds to five, they would be:

5. The haunting rumbling of a distant train. (it appeals to my sense of wanderlust)

4. The discordant sounds that an orchestra makes, in the minutes before the concert hall is silent – before the performance commences. (it fills me with anticipation, excitement and joy)

3. The steady, low roar of ocean waves, as the tide rolls in – especially at dawn and dusk. (I am awed and humbled by its sheer magnificence)

2. The gentle rustling of bamboo leaves, as the trees sway in the wind. (this, for me, is the sound of peace)

1. The sound of quiet. (when everything is silent, I am in complete harmony with myself, and with God)

Image via businesssuccesshub.com.

heatherfromthegrove

a writer's musings…

Tag Archives: sense of sound

Life is a Bowl of Cherries

The Sound of Quiet