Can you hear me whisper?

For weeks, I've woken up irritated, frustrated...almost angry. Believe me, it's awful and only kind of irrational. I open my eyes and already know what's going to happen when I take out my earplugs. 

NOISE!

I know, I live in the city and cities make noise. It's just part of the gig. Well, I hate it. I love living in the city, I love everything the city has to offer, but WHY DID I GET AN APARTMENT ON A MAIN ROAD?! And please tell me WHY DID I GET AN APARTMENT ON A MAIN ROAD THAT RUNS THE T (the Boston subway)? Sweet God, what was I thinking?!! 

It's not like I've spent my last 22 years in a cornfield where all you found hear was the buzzing of the bees and your own breath. I lives in St. Louis--directly adjacent to a main highway (as in, you could toss a beer can from my apartment window onto a car--no, this never happened) and a mile from one trauma hospital and two miles from another. I've lived in the middle of noise before, but there was always some calm...and I never had to live with my windows open (because I don't have AC). 

So, it's loud. And I've been complaining--only to those closest to me who won't pass harsh judgement about my cynicism and pessimism. Clearly, that filtering just ended.

This past week, I've been dog(Riley)/house sitting for a family in Needham, Mass. Needham is about 9 miles from my apartment but it seems like a different world. There are driveways and small yards and a distinct difference between the areas where people live and where they do everything else (eat, work, shop, play). 

I lived at this family's house for my first week and a half in Boston last August so this isn't a foreign place to me. Still, it was a bit different this time. Or maybe I was different.

After my first night, despite the fact that I was waking up at 4:45am to get to a swim meet, I was not cranky...it was quiet. I heard the bed creak and Riley's paws on the hardwood floor. I didn't hear cars zooming or the T screeching. I certainly didn't hear people talking loudly. 

For a moment, peace.

I continued having these moments throughout the week. Every time I went outside when Riley had to pee, I just stood there, in silence. This morning, I sat on the front porch to drink my coffee and call my best friend. perfection. 

For the first time in a long time, I could hear myself think. 

This week, I am grateful for silence. I am grateful for the peace brought by the sound of raindrops crashing to the ground and bunnies hopping through the back yard and for sleeping with the windows open without needing earplugs.

What are you grateful for this week?