How good it feels to open the windows in the house. We had a couple warm days and too hot to sleep comfortably nights when gratefully we turned on our central air-conditioning. Now, however, the weather is cool again. A summer coolness with fresh breezes filling each room.
I must admit the first few days of open windows I grumbled a bit Maybe more than a bit. Our block has become quite noisy, as new families with young children have moved in. It seems as if someone is always crying, and one child in particular is a screamer.
"I love my peace and quiet," says the cranky old lady. (That would be me!) On these lovely spring into summer days, I relish sitting and reading in my Paris garden when I have lunch, but along with the usual birds chirping, the air is filled with squeals of delight and squeals of anguish. The block has become filled with toddler and kindergarten drama!
With the windows open I hear it all.
Life, that's what I hear.
The slamming of car doors when friends arrive. The greetings as neighbors pass each other on the sidewalk. The dog that barks at the sight of another dog. A brief conversation with the letter carrier and the chattering of teenage girls as they flip flop along their way. The thunk of a ball in a catcher's mitt. The splash splash in a wading pool. The tinkle of the ice cream truck and music I don't recognize as cars pass by. The high pitched sounds of a lawn mower or of construction tools at a nearby home. I even hear my husband working his garden magic.
Yes, there are tears, but there is also laughter and happy conversations.
I open the windows and let it all in.
Go to a window in your home right now. Take a deep breath and gently, but firmly, open that window. Before moving away, look through the window. What do you see? Look as if you have never looked out that window before. What do you hear? Smell? Feel? 
How does this open window change the inside of your home? Does the room feel more spacious? How is the internal light different with the window open? Is there a window you rarely open? Go open that one right now. What does that feel like?
Opening the windows I remind myself to open my heart. To be present to all of life. To make compassionate space for it all.
I suspect each of us has a closed window in our lives. Perhaps today is the day to open it.
An Invitation
In what way would you like to be more open. I would love to know.
I've had all the windows in my home open yesterday and today, too. The fresh, cooler breezes are wonderful. Like you, I get aggravated when I can hear the neighborhood kids screaming because I like my peace and quiet too, but then I remind myself that 1) that's how my kids were when they were little...so I'm sure we aggravated some neighbors, too! and 2) the sounds of children are a blessing. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is raining right now, but I can still have the windows open, and I hear children playing in the rain. Sweet!
DeleteFor many years we lived in a neighborhood where people kept to themselves. I would hear sounds, but it was just noise -- a car with the engine too loud, dogs barking, and once in a while I would see a neighbor come and go. Now, we live in a neighborhood that is a friendly one. When I hear a dog, I know that it is Lucy next door. The loud engine is the sweet college kid whose parents share their rhubarb with us. On weekends, we're all out working in our yards and often gather in front yards to chat. Your post today is a reminder to me that 'noises' all have names and faces, and I should be more tolerant.
ReplyDeleteWe love our friendly neighborhood, too.
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