This morning the valley is enveloped in cloud. High enough to see the fence line at the top of the fields, but low enough to feel cocooned.
Sounds in this quiet place become strangely amplified. The multitude of different birdsongs, calling across the valley and between trees. Woodpeckers doing their thing in the ancient woodland. The flap of wings beating the air above my head. And the bees… the bees are extraordinary.
The other day a friend climbed to the top of the hillside to get a bigger view of the valley. It is stunning up there, way above the lake. But it was the sound of the bees that particularly attracted her attention. Not clustered around the bright yellow gorse flowers, but closer to the ground. This wasn’t what she was expecting to notice. And it surprised her.
Silence isn’t just about our environment. It’s also the stillness in our souls that enables us to listen more. As the poet Rumi suggests:
“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.”
Currently, there are so many words in the world around us – what is the silence that you need to listen for?