Just Listen

I recently heard a spiritual teacher talk about his method to get rid of anxiety: shut off all thoughts and just listen to everything around you. Here at the cabin, it’s easy, especially if I’m sitting outside, because I’m surrounded by sounds—some natural, some not:  

• The scolding of the gray squirrel
• The chirring of the swallows flying above me
• A door slamming shut
• The small motors of the hummingbirds
• The whine of a chainsaw
• The wind through the aspens
• The louder roar through the pines
• Rain hitting the roof
• The creaking of a car as it hits the potholes on the dirt road
• The screech of a Steller’s jay
• The sweet music of the wind chimes on my front porch and the more sonorous tones of my neighbors’ set, intermingling
• The start of my neighbor’s car engine
• A helicopter overhead
• Children yelling down the road
• The chatter of the chipmunks
• The creek running, softly, almost imperceptibly

And then there’s my breath, mingling with it all.