Sounds

Life is made up of so many textures, shapes, shades, smells and sounds.   They are what form our world and feed our emotions.  It is remarkable to think how brilliant someone like Helen Keller was to be able to find the beauty and fullness of life when so many of those components were taken away.  As I sit here with my thoughts I am aware of those sounds around and the meanings they bring.

Outside the babble of a fountain is drowned out by the roar of a 16 horsepower-riding lawnmower as my neighbor trims his yard.  The air conditioner comes to life, with the sounds of a blower fan, circulating air to keep the house temperature bearable, as the sun shines down on the West Florida Coastline.

The cat complains to my wife.  It is a female cat, fussy, finicky, and skittish.  In the morning she meows impatiently for food she will turn up her nose to, and then for a head scratch, nothing more and nothing less, finally she will wander off to perch on top of our Belgium wall unit filled with the memories of our past.

The coffee maker fills the pot with a quiet drizzle finally alerting me to its willingness to share its contents with beep-beep-beep.

I push a button and the electric motor surges to life, straining to break the inertia of a heavy weight.  It seems a herculean task for the ½ horsepower motor, pulling open the garage door despite the creaking protestations of the door’s rollers moving slowly along its guide rails. As the door opens the quieter sounds of the outdoors come rushing inside.  There is the swish of the sprinkler, the sound of tires against asphalt as a car rolls by, the exchange of pleasantries as neighbors greet each other on their way to secure the morning paper.