Hearing only what I want to hear.

I know people in search of peace and quiet. Claiming they can’t find it. Nonsense. I find tranquility all the time. In public parks. In public libraries. Along pleasant walkways. Maybe I have to listen to chirping birds. Or a musical adagio. But that counts as peace and quiet, too.  Amazes me when people complain about noise. My advice. Find ways to escape. Libraries and parks are two of my favorite places.  Often havens for solitude. Time to reflect. To close one’s ears. Maybe the inside of an empty church, too. A cathedral. A basilica. Easy to find where I am living. In Italy. Other times, I turn off the noise around me. Pay it no heed. By delving deep into my being. And I hear only what I want to hear. Silence. –Jim Broede