Listening

Observations on myself: I am unusually sensitive to sounds and unusually insensitive to sights--I might walk past the same building or sign many times and never notice it, but a loud or jarring (or beautiful!) sound is sure to catch my attention.  Here are some of the sounds I love:

Crickets--a relaxing summer evening, sitting on a back porch with people dear to me, having the pleasure to slow down just to listen, being near to nature and its beauty

The sound of a neighbor's outdoor basketball game--comfort, homeyness, familiarity

Ocean waves crashing--the combination of a soothing, reassuring, repetitive rhythm coupled with the ocean's (almost literally) unfathomable mystery

An orchestra tuning--dissonance, difference, resolving into unity while maintaining uniqueness

Musicians breathing in the background of classical music tracks--a big intake of breath right before an important passage--it's almost like they're reminding you how to live: play and work with intensity, but don't forget to breathe

Children laughing--really anyone laughing, especially people you love--a blessed reminder that perhaps not all of life is suffering, after all