Two Sounds That Make Me Happy

Strange auditory pleasure

Most of my favorite sounds come from nature; waterfalls, honking geese, a kitty cat meowing, rustling leaves, the sound of a babbling brook, crickets, the buzz of cicadas, the sound of the surf slapping a beach, and of course any and all birdsong.

But there are two sounds made by humankind that make me happy. One is the sound of lawnmowers and the other is the sound of small airplanes.

When I say that I like the sound of lawnmowers I should be more specific. What I like is the sound of DISTANT lawnmowers. A lawnmower mowing in close proximity is just too loud. The sound of someone mowing their yard a couple of blocks away is very soothing to me, however. For some strange reason the droning sound of a distant lawn mower makes me fell all dreamy. It is a sound of summer and I love summer.

The sound of a lawnmower in winter is just plain incongruous. When I hear a distant lawnmower memories of so many summers are triggered and I am immediately put in a ‘summer mood.’ For me, a summer mood is one of pure happiness.

The other sound made by humankind that makes me happy I can listen to all year long. Ever since I was a kid the sound of a small airplane flying by induces in me a dreamy, hypnotic mood. I am not sure why. The sounds of big jets or…