A Pocket of Sound

One thing that I have learned about myself over the years is that if I am going to exercise, I've got to do it in the morning. No matter what my intentions are, the day just gets away from me if I don't do it before my day gets underway.

But since I leave for work at 7 AM, that means that I have to get up early to do it. So, I often go for morning walks at 5 AM. 

At this time of year, it's still as dark as night when I head out. The atmosphere is so still and blanketed in silence at this hour, especially in winter. It's easy to imagine that I'm the only person in the world. 

Yesterday as I was walking down the quiet street, I stopped in my tracks when I heard a somewhat loud rushing sound. There have been water line breaks on my street for the past couple weeks, so I initially thought it was the rushing of water. 

I looked around and couldn't find the source, so I walked on. However, when I looped back around on my way back, I once again was struck by this sound on an otherwise soundless morning.

This time I realized that it was coming from a tree. All the other trees are barren and devoid of leaves, except this particular one which has held onto most of its dry brown leaves. There was just enough wind that it created one small area that was filled with sound.

I stood and looked up at this tree for a full minute marveling about how neat it was to stand within this one pocket of sound. It was delightful and something that I would have missed if I had stayed in my warm bed that morning.