Shhhh. I’m thinking here.  Maybe I’m not, but I still enjoy the silence. Better yet, I love what I hear in silent times.

Everything seems silent, until the sounds of birds chattering in the morning, or frogs croaking after a rain, or dogs barking into the wind, or locusts telling the world it is summer, or the soft rustle of paper in the next room when the air conditioner comes on, or the bee buzzing nearby while I check on plants in the garden, or….catch my attention.

The subtle symphony of silence is different than noisiness. The noises heard in silence alert the senses (not just hearing), while the noisiness the world numbs our senses. One attracts our attention and the other becomes distraction that creates dissatisfaction with the environment.

Enjoying silence introduces sounds that may have gone unnoticed: the sound of fishing line coming off the reel during a cast, the gentle slurp of a little fish taking food off the surface of the water, the trees succumbing to gentle breezes, the squeak-crunch of boots on snow when walking slowly through the cold…

Too much silence would likely drive me crazy, but the times of silence enliven me. I love silence and need to seek it more often. Should you?

This blog section is titled Philo, which is Greek for loving, as in love of: for example, philanthropy: love of people/humanity; philosophy: love of knowledge or wisdom. My writings for Philo examine “love of” many things — both subtle and sublime — that comprise life and living.

Check out my photographic project for the year, The Year of 70: Decades of Joy and Thanks.