The Eternal Symphony

I never realized that music is like time: perpetual. Somehow, previously, I equated listening to music as manually pushing the “on” or ‘play” button on the radio or, more typically now, on my iPhone. Until one day, during a morning hike, I was reawakened to a whole new world of music that had been playing the entire time, from the moment I took my first breath, which will continue until I take my last. The music of Mother Nature is pure and tranquil, untouched by the cacophony of our manufactured world, which is characterized by noise. I clearly distinguish between music and noise because the former typically elicits a pleasurable response in its audience, whereas the latter often produces disagreeable and distressing feelings in the reluctant listener.

You likely think that it’s hardly a novel concept to classify the sounds of nature as music. After all, thousands of apps offer the lull of ocean waves or the pitter-patter of rain to usher you into a blissful slumber. Truthfully, I frequently fall asleep to the ebb and flow of the tides. But how often do we pause and appreciate that Mother Nature’s music is readily available all the time? Day and night, without cease, by God’s design. To let us know that all will be well. From the sounds of my footsteps on the forest floor and the satisfying crunch of dried leaves beneath, to the trilling of early morning robins, the rustle of the towering, graceful trees in the wind, to the happy ripple of water flowing through the creek, the air is vibrantly alive with music.

Rushing about my days, I rarely paused to soak in the cheerful notes of life pulsing around me. At night, I deliberately tuned out the crickets’ chirps, the croak of frogs, even the occasional hoot of an owl, not for a moment mindful of the message from above, of oneness in nature. But that day, on my stroll, my heart filled with the healing power and energy of the music in the air. It felt like a homecoming. Like the music of my soul. I felt moved to tears by the beauty surrounding me, ever-present, ever a reminder that we are not alone. And those we loved who no longer walk beside us are still alive in every butterfly that flutters before our eyes and in every gentle caress of the wind.

Nature’s music is like a song that plays in a continuous loop, but it’s never the same notes. There’s always a new, wondrous symphony of sounds that greet us. Therein lies the magic. You must just listen and let it in.