Night Sounds

There are sounds that are unique to the deep murky thickness of the night,  sounds that clothe me in a blanket of comfort and calm.  I will never cease to wonder why my favorite one of all, the one I find so hypnotic and soothing, causes most women to up and leave their beds in the middle of the night.

Of course, this is not normal, the way I feel about it, the peace it brings me. Yet it is the way I’ve always felt. If it stops, I know he’s not sleeping well and this floats me to the surface of my deep and heavy bog. I wait until snoring fills the room once again, and then fall soundly back to sleep. Funny how all the racket he makes has become a lullaby.

Our neighbor has complained, “That wind chime of yours keeps me awake, you know.” No, we didn’t know. So we move it to the other side of the house, outside our bedroom window. The soft cling of the tubular chimes brings an image of an angel’s breath moving them gently together. How could anyone not love this sound?

The wind whistles through the trees causing branches to brush up against the house. There is a soft scratching sound as if a cat is wanting to come inside. Our dogs growl softly, quietly. They struggle to do their job and not wake us at the same time. It’s hard to do and soon they quiet, knowing it’s a harmless old familiar sound. It will probably be back the next night and the one after that.

The furnace makes that clicking noise as it fires up. It must be getting cold in the house as well as out in the night. Warm air travels up through the vents and fills the bedroom with enough heat to keep frost from forming on the windows or on our noses. Old man winter is settling in for a good long stay, I’m afraid. If you listen carefully, you can hear his exhale of frozen breath rushing through the neighborhood, chilling everything to the bone. It’s the sound of cold, don’t you think?

The night sounds are different this time of year. There are no loons crying out as in the fall, and no crickets or frog sounds as in summer. It’s the time of year where night sounds bring us dreams of Christmas and candy canes and new woolly slippers. The sounds of sleigh bells and church bells and door bells announce the arrival of Santa and Jesus and family.

Listen carefully to the night sounds. They are different for every season, yet a lullaby for the soul all the same.

Later,

Mary Ann