day eighteen: not about rain

From Greg:

What sound or noise do you love? (There’s also an implied “and why?” in there, if you didn’t notice.)

I wonder how many people pick rain. I do love the sound of rain. Especially when I’m in that dreamy half-awake/half-asleep state of being and there’s no reason to move out of it toward fully awake, though I could, or I could go back to being fully asleep, or I could just listen to the rain for awhile. I love the sound of rain in moments like those.

But I’m not going to pick rain. Too obvious. I love the sound my dog makes when she’s having some kind of crazy excited fit and she’s running around in circles because she cannot contain herself. Her joy is contagious and I can’t help but laugh. Though to be honest, it may be that insanely adorable goofy face she makes while she’s running around in circles. It is the face of pure joy. It’s so much cuteness, I can barely stand it. So if it’s her goofy face that I love, then I guess it’s not the sound. By the way, even though she’d finished running around in circles when I took this photo, this is (an aerial view of) the face, with added bonus tail wagging:

How many pictures of my dog am I going to post here this month? I don’t know. But I love that critter. She kills me.

So, okay. You know what sound I love? I’ll tell you. I love when it’s quiet at night and I’m reading a book — I love the sound of turning pages. It’s this beautiful little whispery sound. So soft, and yet so precise. (Yet another reason why actual books printed on paper are awesome.) Why do I love the sound of turning pages? I suppose it would not be good enough if I just said “Because.” Though I’m tempted, because I’m like that. The thing I love about it is that reading a book is so much more than just reading words on a page. That’s obviously a key part of it, but reading a book is an experience that’s physical as well as mental. There’s a tactile pleasure to reading a book, to holding it and turning its pages, and I really like that. So I guess the sound of those turning pages is nice because it adds another level to the physical experience of reading.

And yes, I know I said I love the sound of turning pages when it’s quiet at night, but I don’t suppose I have to be so particular about it — the sound itself makes me think of Sunday afternoons. You know what my absolutely favorite part of the week is? Sunday afternoon. There is, I suppose, a bittersweetness to Sunday afternoon, with it being the lead-in to Sunday night, which is the end of the weekend and all. And a Sunday afternoon, especially a rainy Sunday afternoon, is like the ultimate time for curling up with a book. And making a big pot of soup or something. Yes indeedy.

There’s a Sunday afternoon feeling, if that makes any sense at all, and that feeling can happen at any time, not just on Sunday afternoons. I might be on a tangent, but I don’t think so. The sound of turning pages is a Sunday afternoon sound, and I love it.

That works, I think.