I’m sitting in Marquette, Michigan as I write this.  RC has business here and I came along for the ride.

Yesterday, we made a stop in Marinette, Wisconsin on our drive here so RC could work with a distributor to demo some equipment to a customer.  Not being a part of that work, of course, I sat in the car and waited throughout the hour and a half appointment.  (Fortunately, it was a lovely summer day – I would not agree to wait in the car in the winter!)

I was armed with things to keep me busy during my wait – crossword puzzle, ipad – so Facebook, internet, email, etc., novel, magazine and of course, red licorice!

But, the most enjoyable entertainment was sitting in quiet and just listening to the sounds of summer.  I had the windows down in the car and spent some time just being still.  Here’s what I heard…

• a dog barking
• children calling to one another; laughing; playing
• a lawn mower
• an ice cream pedal cart playing some funny melody (It would drive me crazy if I was the peddler and had to listen to that song over and over all afternoon.)
• a motorcycle
• traffic noise on the street
• construction noise – a pounding hammer, power tools as perhaps being used in building a house

For some reason listening to these sounds was very nostalgic for me – remembering summers in my youth. (I cannot figure out if I am using the word, nostalgic, correctly [noun, verb, adverb ???]; but, hopefully, you can figure out what I mean, even if I have erred.)  Maybe as a young person with fewer responsibilities and concerns I was more aware of insignificant things going on around me, and thus, more in tune with the noise of my surroundings.  I must admit, now, in my usual hurried state to accomplish something, I don’t take much time to just be still and listen.  Whatever…at any rate,  hearing these things yesterday, reminded me of summers long ago, and that created a warm, fuzzy feeling for me.

I happen to love summer, that may have aided in providing good feelings for me in my non-busy time yesterday just enjoying the sounds.  During Minnesota winters, many of us – myself, included – do not venture outside much other than to get to work, take care of shopping, appointments, etc.   And, even if we do take walks or exercise in some way outdoors, we won’t hear some of the sounds I listed above; or may not be aware of them as we just hurry to get out of the cold.  Winter is time to enjoy the lack of noise when we are outside – that silence can add to the enjoyment (or be the only enjoyment?) of the nature of that season.

I pulled out my notebook after realizing I was hearing summer, and listed many more summer sounds, impressed by how many I could think of –  thunder, rain, the breeze rustling the leaves in the trees (remember, I don’t like wind,  so it has to be a breeze for me to enjoy the sound), birds chirping, squirrels scolding, mosquitoes buzzing (yuck to this one!), sheets on the clothesline flapping in the wind, and my favorite of all – crickets chirping in the evening.

I would highly recommend and encourage you to take some time on a nice summer day to go outdoors and just be still and listen.  Maybe all the wonderful sounds will affect you the same way they do for me and provide you with a warm fuzzy or even nostalgic feeling.

Enjoy!