Musings on My Day Off

Hello, dear friends. I took the day off for no reason except that I have 12 remaining vacation days to use or lose before the year is up. One down and 11 to go.

I love taking a random day off with nowhere to be and nothing to do. I had planned on tackling a landscape project, but the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to do it, so I ended up offering a well-paying job to my trusty twin at her convenience. Thankfully, she took it, and therefore, most of my day was spent sitting on the deck, looking up at the big blue sky. It was so peaceful, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect.

As I sat there, listening to the muted sounds around me, I thanked God for my hearing. I know that sounds odd, but one of the first things to go as we age is our hearing, and I’ve asked God to preserve mine as long as he will.

Throughout the morning and afternoon, I made mental notes of the myriad sounds around me. A rooster crowed from somewhere far away. A few houses down, a dog barked.

Next door, my neighbors chatted in their driveway. Leaves rustled with the occasional breeze. A pinecone fell to earth. Someone closed a car door. Traffic hummed along the main thoroughfare. A horn honked. A huge insect buzzed by.

At the elementary school a few streets over, a lady on the loudspeaker did whatever she does. Birds chirped from the trees. Intermittent planes rumbled overhead. Somebody’s garage door went up or down. Yes, it was a hodgepodge of sounds, for sure, but melodious in their own way. And, as if on cue, my ice maker just dropped some fresh ice with a loud bang, and the hose is filling up with water again. Oh, the joys of hearing!

You lose out on so much when you can’t hear the world about you and those intimate conversations around the kitchen table. Mother's hearing has declined greatly in the last few years. Hearing aids are a blessing to those who have them, of course, but they can’t replicate the dynamics of a God-created ear. If you have one that does, let me know for future reference.

Well, that's it for today, y'all. Sorry for rambling. If you’re still reading, I wish you a perfect evening. May you hear your alarm in the morning, and may you remember to give thanks for those things so often taken for granted.

P. S. If you look closely at this picture, you’ll find an airplane between the trees.