Silence

When I visit my favorite oak tree one of the things I appreciate most is how quiet the area around it is. It's not ideal: there is the occasional airplane flying overhead or truck backfiring. But otherwise, the only sounds I hear are bees, birds, cows, and the wind in the grass. I can relax and sit with my thoughts here and it is an ideal place to communicate with nature.

Silence is something we're losing, according to Gordon Hempton, who records sounds of the natural world. It becomes more and more difficult each year for him to find silent places to record the humming and breathing of nature. I applaud his efforts and second his assertion that we need to save areas of silence. Read more about him in this wonderful article in Utne.