Sounds

I just spent the last two hours in my backyard enjoying the day, enjoying the sights and sounds, the smells and the sensations. For thirty minutes I lay in the grass on my back, eyes closed, listening to everything I could hear.

Many species of birds chirped and cawed and sang, and I was able to get the sense that they were all communicating with each other. What type of communication exactly is of course impossible for me to know. It’s probably not able to be described in our language.

Next time you have some spare time, close your eyes, wherever you are, and focus on all of the sounds. You’ll hear things that were always there but on which you’ve probably never focused your attention. Much of it is often-overlooked beauty.

The sound of the grass under your feet. The rustling leaves, the subtle whooshing sound the breeze makes as it passes over your ears. Flies buzzing overhead. Occasionaly you can even hear the rush of air under birds’ wings when they fly overhead.

If you’re inside, the humming of the applicances, the occasional creaks in the frame of the house. The sound of silence, and the hushed ringing sound in your ears that becomes more apparent the quieter your environment is and the more you focus on it. Some say it’s the energetic sound of the universe.

Think of what causes those sounds and everything that means. The different species of birds, each with their own genetic code, developing differently designed voices. What’s that bird trying to communicate? The thousands of leaves, each brushing up against one another, the sum of which becomes pleasurably audible to us. The wind that causes that rustling is the result of lower pressure hundreds, thousands of miles away, and the air compensating for the discrepancy by rushing toward that place.

The humming of your refrigerator is the noise caused by the intricately designed machinery that keeps your food and drink cold. Someone sat down one day many years ago to solve the problem of food spoiling, and over the years people improved upon his invention to the point where we are today. These people all had their own life stories, joys and fears, and most of them are long-dead. Yet we rely on the technology they created from their imaginations on a daily basis. In that way we’re connected.

This all goes back to appreciating the beauty of our world and living in the present, really paying attention to what you’re doing and what goes on around you as you proceed through the day. Take a moment to step back from your racing mind and appreciate all of the sensations in your world. It’s a quick, easy way to put everything in perspective. The more you’re able to do this, the more I’m able to do this, the more we’ll be able to find an inner peace and a calm happiness as we proceed through this life toward the one universal guarantee.