"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn?" she inquired. "Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause in a roomful of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're all alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful, if you listen carefully."
~Norman Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
When I read this a few nights ago, it got me thinking about my favorite silences, and I want to know what yours are, too.
Here are some of mine: the first silence after all the kids are in bed, the reverent moment right before the sun comes up in the mountains on a summer morning, the silence as the curtain goes up at Pioneer Memorial Theater, the time right before a piano concert when the pianist is on the bench gathering his/her thoughts, and a lone ride on a ski lift. In fact, skiing in general is pretty silent. And the silence of running early in the morning.
Please tell me about your favorite silences.
2 comments:
Hmmm. I love the silence when both kids are at school and Ivy is taking her nap. Beautiful. I feel like the house is finally mine. Also, the silence after we hear the garage door open and before Adam comes in. The anticipation of Daddy being home is wonderful. The silence when I am curled up with a good book is another favorite. And in the summer when I swim laps, I love the silence of being in the water. My thoughts are all I hear.
Mine is definitley the silence of running early, when all you hear is the sound of your feet on the road, the silence when nobody is home and it is just beginning to rain, the silence of the kids all actually ASLEEP in bed, the silence of Sunday naps, the silence of the fourth of july night after all the fireworks have stopped. Those are a few! Great book, we used to listen to it on tape on roadtrips when I was a kid! I am sure it would have whole new meanings to me now....
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