The shame of turning off the birds.

I can still hear the birds chirping. But I suspect not as good as I did when I was a youngster. I’m afraid that’s one of the disadvantages of age. One isn’t as finally tuned as one used to be. Physically. Even mentally. But there are advantages to lasting for three-quarters of a century. One keeps learning more and better ways to appreciate life. To really savor little things. Like the songs of birds. And the sound of music. But my tastes have changed. When I was a teenager, I liked bombastic classical music. Now give me soft, soothing music. Adagios. I’d rather listen to a string quartet or a soloist than an orchestra. Today I’ve been listening to the birds. A chorus. A mixture of several kinds of birds. They harmonize. Such natural music. Used to be we didn’t have recorded music. One had to hear it live. And I imagine that the ancients tuned into the birds like we tune into television or the radio. I’ll bet that some of us don’t even listen to the birds any more. Which is a shame. –Jim Broede