Soul of a Woman

I decided to take a walk and not plug my ears with artificial noise. By that I mean, earbuds airing a podcast or music. I decided I would listen to the sounds of nature. The sounds that surrounded me while I walked up the hills and through the parks.

To my sweet surprise, a neighbor’s chimes were clanging. I was graced with the delicate sounds of metal gently touching. These sounds produce the tender tones of little church bells. As I walked past that house I heard birds chirping and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I looked up and saw how the leaves brushed against each other to produce the crushing sound of the rustle. I crossed over to walk through the park and then I heard it….the sound of laughter and little screams. Children running after each other playing tag. Others on the swings squealing while their parent/guardian/caregiver pushed them higher. I heard laughter coming from the monkey bars.

I heard joy.

In that moment, I looked around, smiled. The sound of each expression were priceless. Even the passing by of cars was a pleasant distraction from the raucous noise of our social media algorithms.

This walk served as medicine to my soul. It restored my hope in humanity. It offered me a small slice of peace.

Then the unimaginable happened. I came home. I turned on the TV. I sat to watch what is unequivocally the most disturbing docu-movie on Netflix, “The Perfect Neighbor.”

This was the antithesis of the sound of laughter. This was what most of our communities that are integrated fear. This is what hatred looks like. This is what a broken society does. These children were simply playing outside. These children were doing what children are suppose to do…laugh, run, ride their bikes, play baseball, play catch, play football, bounce their ball, play tag, jump rope, roller skate. The things that we desperately want our children to do so their innocence is not lost too soon. Yet, for a neighbor, it proved to be too much noise. The sound of laughter was disturbing. The results were life-altering for a family and a community. Watch it at your own peril.

Yet, I refuse to accept that this is who we are. I had just walked amongst the sounds of the trees rustling, the birds singing, the kids laughing, the cars buzzing by, the families riding their bikes. This must be who we become again. This is how we save ourselves from hatred. Allow the sound of laughter to permeate your neighborhood, your conversations, your communities.

Allow joy to radiate.

Be light in the midst of darkness.

These days that is a challenge…

So…I challenge you…