Percussion.
This morning I heard the tires on the road.
Various vehicles, various speeds, various sizes, various stories.
Tires turning over and over and over
on the streets in various places.
To work. Back home.
Going. Coming.
Percussion.
My own steps taken at my normal pace.
Early morning, common sidewalk cadence.
Step by step by step by step.
Percussion.
Soft, sudden beats of the rabbit
hopping in a hurry on the green grass.
Percussion.
A woodpecker’s syncopation,
emphasizing every point being made in recurrence.
Percussion.
Regularity. Surprises.
A clash, a crash, a bang, a smash.
Loud bumps, upbeat.
Percussion.
My morning steps slowed toward the last lines
of my walk’s song,
while other noise indicated energy
beginning for those people in their strides.
Percussion.
I stopped walking
and thought of a song with its own percussion.
I listened to Rich Mullins singing about steps,
imagining the cadence he hears in heaven.
Love this.
I think it is important to listen to the world around us.
This was a good read. My grandpa was in percussion so I really understand this.
The world around us will always be busy. Everyone coming and going. Many unaware of what it means to notice the small things. There is beauty in everything- we just have to notice it and listen.
This blog makes me feel calm and thoughtful. It shows how everyday sounds, like walking and cars, can have their own rhythm. It helps me appreciate the small things in life. The mention of a song adds a peaceful feeling to the message.
I took a different perspective on this blog. In reading this, I made me truly sit and think about just how big this world is, and on top of that just how big our God is. The people we pass daily all live their each individual lives. They all have their own stories and struggles, and they all know someone somewhere else with their own story and struggle. Yet our God knows each and every one of us by name, and died for the the person we pass on the interstate just as much as he did for me.
These words remind me of the sounds we hear everyday but take no notice of. I wonder how differently we would view the world without many distractions or technology. I wonder how much more clear we would be able to see the world. This encourages me to do more “pausing” and listening. There is beauty in the mundane percussion around us.
The world is a busy and beautiful place, sometimes all we have to do is take a step back and enjoy it. This post made me realize that.
“imagining the cadence he hears in heaven.”, I love this. Reading this last line created a beautiful scene in my mind of the noises in heaven. Loud, yet soothing, so beautiful, so smooth.
Hearing and listening are two different things. Thanks for the reminder.
This is a reminder of the “mundane” details of the world around us. We have the invitation and the opportunity to practice mindfulness- seeing the divine in the ordinary. The final reflection on Rich Mullins’ song and heavenly cadence hints at a belief that earthly rhythms mirror eternal truths. There is life and love in everything around us- beyond the spaces and false and true.
Listening to what’s around us is almost always a secondary instinct for us nowadays, he are always focused on what seems important, what might affect us directly, and not on the beauty that is around us, something I’ve been trying for years to get better at.
This post makes me think of how little time I take to stop and listen to the world around me. I am always so busy, and it seems like I always need something playing to distract me from the silence. The quiet can be uncomfortable, but there is beauty to be found in it. I need to take time to sit and listen.