The world is full of noise. Literally, there probably isn’t a time when you aren’t hearing anything. 

I like paying attention to sounds, especially during the different seasons. Here (or hear, no pun intended, lol) are my top 5 favorite sounds of summer…

When it’s steaming hot during the day, I love to listen to the crickets after the sun goes down. Something about them is so soothing. It reminds me of growing up, lying in bed after a long day of swimming, then playing night yard games. I remember feeling exhausted. Summer crickets are today’s “white noise” machine..lol

On the flip side, chirping birds are the best summer alarm clock. We didn’t have air conditioning when I was little, so the bedroom windows were always open at night. Chirping birds in the morning always meant summer. I would lie in bed and often think about what adventures I would have that day. Who stayed inside when the sun was bright and the humidity high? None of us under the age of 12. 

Unfortunately, another one of my favorite summer sounds is now obsolete. It’s the whirring and clicking of kids riding their bikes. Our Moms didn’t drop us off at a friend’s house to go swimming, or anywhere, for that matter. We rode our bikes everywhere. If I think about that sound, I can hear it in my mind. We sometimes rode in packs, so you could really hear the noise from the bikes several driveways away. 

I still love the sound of a lawnmower, and if I might add, the smell of freshly cut grass that goes with it. That was a chore my brother and dad were in charge of. To me, it was another relaxing sound. As a kid, I read a lot in the summer and often sat on my bed in the middle of the day reading as I heard the lawnmower running in the backyard through the open window. I’m pretty sure I read through many chapters with the lawnmower sound in the background.

I may have mentioned this in earlier posts, but the humming sound of our attic fan in the upstairs hallway was a clear indication it was summer. Before air conditioning, that fan was on most of the day and all night. No wonder I slept well all of my childhood.

We are certainly used to being comfortable in our air-conditioned homes. In the heat of the summer, make it a point to take a walk outside during the day and at night. Stop and listen. Don’t take those sounds of summer for granted!