Listening for Crickets

[Guest guest]

Listening for Crickets

 

 

 

Grandfather Daywalker and I were in downtown Chicago, walking near the Loop.

It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people.

Car horns honking, buses rumbling, trains screeching on the tracks, sirens

wailing; the sounds of the city at noon were almost deafening. Grandfather

turned suddenly and with a smile said, "I hear a cricket."

 

"What?" I said "You must be hearing things old man. You couldn't possibly

hear a cricket in all of this noise!"

 

"No, I'm sure I heard a cricket." Grandfather said,

 

"Really?" I asked looking into his face to see if he was joking for he was

fond of jokes on this "lily white" grandson. I did not want to be gullible

again.

 

Grandfather ignored my question and listened carefully for another moment.

Then he walked across the street directly to a big planter in front of a

restaurant where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes and

carefully lifted a few branches near the soil. I followed and anxiously

looked over his shoulder. He pointed to the dirt where, to my amazement,

was a small cricket. It chirped as if to greet us.

 

"That's incredible," I said with my mouth not quite closing as I watched the

cricket dive under a gum wrapper. "Grandfather, you have superhuman ears!"

 

"No," he said. "My ears are no different from yours. It depends on what

you're listening for."

 

"But, Grandfather, I could never hear a cricket in this noise."

 

"Well, that may be true, Banochiish, but listening and hearing depend on

what is important to you. Here, let me show you."

 

Grandfather reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly

dropped them on the sidewalk. Ting-te-tingle-tingle-ling-ting went the

coins as I watched the fall on the pavement. Despite the noise of the

Chicago lunch rush hour, every head within twenty feet jerked around and

looked at the coins. Some to see if it was theirs; others to see if it would

become theirs.

 

"See? It all depends on what's important to you." Grandfather said as he

bent down. He smiled politely at the people as he picked up the coins,

offering one to a small boy clinging to his mother's hand. They smiled as

well.

 

 

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I share this story with you and ask, are you listening for crickets?

 

 

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