A series of essays.....
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| DANCE TO THE RHYTHM OF LIFE NICE, FRANCE, 2016 |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Listen. Close your eyes and listen to the world around
you.
Are you sitting in a public park, walking around in the
local mall, having a meal at your favorite restaurant, or reading the morning
paper within the familiar confines of your own living room? Where you are truly
does not matter! The important thing is that you are listening.
I have always found joy by listening to what is going on
around me. And, when I am in my personal environment, I can be so attuned to my
surroundings that an unfamiliar sound will catch my attention almost
immediately. It's like an experienced mechanic who takes a customer's car for a
test-drive and listens intently for inappropriate clanks, rumbles, and squeals
over and above any particular complaints by the customer himself.
This morning I awoke to the slightly off-balanced
clickety-clack of the ceiling fan above me; its rhythm and timing was
exceptionally precise. My fingers tapped out its cadence on the folds of the
crisp, white sheet.
Listen. Close your eyes and listen to the rhythm that
surrounds you. What do you hear right at this very moment in time?
The sounds around us create the patterns of regular or
irregular pulses; familiar and unfamiliar within our daily routine. I've discussed
before the battery powered clock that clicks its rhythmic pulses as I sit here
and type each day. If it were to be taken away right now, would I be able to type at
all? A familiar routine can empower us; can suck us into believing in its
created normalcy, and we are programmed, after a period of time, to expect to
function because of its existence. Quite often, we are not even aware of what's
happening to us.
Ask a person how their day went after having to skip
their daily routine at Starbucks for any reason. You may wonder if their day was
compromised because of the timely loss of caffeine or the break in their morning
routine. Given time, all of us become, in one form or another, creatures of
habit and our 'life rhythm' holds strategic importance to our daily
well-being.
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| PARTAKE IN THE MEAL CALLED LIFE |
When I was quite young, we would never miss the National
Geographic Specials on TV, long before it had its own channel on cable
television! Based upon the National Geographic Magazine, these Specials took me
to places I could only dream about. But, most importantly, introduced to
multiple generations, amazing lands, people, customs, and international flavors
without us ever having to purchase a ticket to get there.
I was hooked. My dear Mother knew it and, somehow, knew
that subscribing to the magazine was the right thing to do. To this day, I know
that the wonder of photography I discovered between those iconic yellow-outlined
covers taught me to love the camera and all of its magical powers.
It was the rhythmic clicking sounds of the South African
bushman tribes that lingered in my mind and made me want to so desperately visit
the Continent of Africa....as I still do to this day! Like the guttural sounds
of many French words that are produced in the throat and can sound harsh, the
Khoisan African languages, I understood, shared click consonants and the people
spoke with such a unique sound that it captured my youthful attention and
curiosity.
Having read later as an adult something about the
stylohyoid muscle and digastrique muscle contracting, causing the hyoid bone and
the connected glottis to raise, and the forward articulation is held, raising
air pressure greatly in the mouth so when the oral articulations separate, there
is a dramatic burst of air and even the Adam's apple may be seen moving
simultaneously. Whew!
All this didn't matter to me back then. I just wanted to
listen to the clicks and clacks and watch the rhythmic flow of their colorful
robes as they danced to the beat made by their staffs being pounded into the
dusty, African soil. The clashing sounds of the beaded necklaces and bracelets
they wore added to the glorious symphony of delights that thoroughly engulfed my
senses. Such a beautiful experience this was and one I will never forget.
Perhaps, one day, I will see it all up close and personal.
Last night, while sitting out on the lanai and thinking
of our future move back to Michigan, I wondered about missing the familiar sound
of planes coming in to land or take off from the Orlando International Airport.
For twenty years their sounds have flooded my senses with various levels of
rhythmic intensity. There is pure joy in watching a Virgin jumbo jet float among the clouds as it makes its approach into OIA!
Dan and I are cultivating new rhythms associated with
our lives these days in accordance with a new lifestyle slated for less than a
year from now. Until retirement is firmly set behind us, I approach our life in
Michigan as seasonal rather than daily. That time will come soon
enough.
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| SIT BACK AND JUST LISTEN |
For now, it is the crisp, swirling leaves that dance
dervish-like in our back yard on a windy autumn's day; the soothing crackle of a
roaring fire contained within the stone fireplace one frosty winter's evening;
the tingle of warmth you feel inside your heart when seeing good friends walking through
a spring drizzle coming to say hello and welcome you back; and, the sounds of
a summer's evening complete with the neighbor's melodic violin notes wafting
like precious animated jewels out of his second story window.
I invite you to listen; check all of the senses while
you observe the world around you. Delight in the beauty of the rolling hills of
an Irish countryside bathed in its many shades of green. Speak to the locals of
a small French village in their own language, whenever you can. Walk around the
narrow streets of Paris in the evening and listen to the families having dinner;
recognize their polite talk and the gentle clash of silver cutlery being rested
on hand painted plates. Stroll through an open market and take in all of the
aromas the local cuisine has to offer. And, feel the warmth of your lover's skin
while you walk hand-in-hand along the beach as the water engulfs your feet and
you sink deeper into the warm, wet sand with each step you take.
Listen to nature's music playing all around you! Clap
your hands and tap your feet as the rhythm sinks into your very core.
You get to decide which beats you wish to follow in your
lifetime. But, with a stage as grand and glorious as the world we live in, it
may be difficult to keep the field narrow. Wherever you go and whatever you do,
always remember to take a moment to sit back, relax and appreciate the rhythm of
the life going on around you.
Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
Copyright © All Photos 2017 by Jacqueline E.
Hughes
All rights reserved
