Tonight I heard something I’ve never heard before. It was the most unusual sound, and when I figured out what had made that sound, it surprised me even more, mostly because I had just been thinking how strange it was that it was so quiet.
I remember that feeling of surprise the last time I heard something I never heard before. It was such good news, but I hadn’t expected it. In fact, I had just spent the previous week being completely depressed that I would never hear it at all.
When I was actively thinking that my surroundings shouldn’t be that quiet, even at 3 a.m., it was almost as if I was asking for something to break the silence. The rustling leaves were a familiar sound, but the squeak and the spray weren’t. It was the funniest sound. A squirrel had been sleeping in the tree when suddenly he squeaked, which made him sneeze, which blew the leaves around him like the wind. The silence changed – that quickly – and suddenly everything seemed as if it were back to normal.
I’m going to think about that squirrel next time I start thinking that something else needs to change. If I listen hard enough, I might just hear something else I never thought I’d ever hear. I could learn to like surprises if they start turning out to be good ones.
