Morning noises

 

One of the joys of retirement is not having to rush out of bed. The alarm never goes off because we never set it, unless we have some place we need to be in the early morning, and we try and avoid scheduling early morning anything.

Staying in bed, reading, thinking, and just enjoying being is a great improvement.

Sometimes, I shut my eyes and just listen to the sounds around me. They vary if we are in France or Switzerland, but they still gentle me into the day.

Garbage men: In France they pick up the garbage daily. Sometimes Sherlock wakes up to bark at them, sometimes he just doesn't care.

People: Also in France we may hear people walking by. A dog may bark, a cat may hiss. Sometimes we hear them pulling suitcases on their way to the train station.

In both countries, the tea kettle clicks on and I can hear the water boiling. My husband will come in with a cuppa, selecting a different flavor each morning. I can identify it by its aroma.

If it is rainy, I can hear the beat of the water on the skylight signalling the start of a day that will involve snuggling inside.

If it's windy, the chimes sound on the patio, a faint melody. 

Birds trill their original melodies. Later when we walk the dog through the fields in Switzerland, we can hear woodpeckers.

Whatever combination of sounds, I feel a sense of joy that I have the time to be aware of them.