The sound of my youngest daughter crying to be picked up first thing in the morning. The silence when I wake before everyone else. The sound of water boiling. The silence when I ingest coffee. The sound of catchy cartoon theme songs. The silence of children when the television is on. The sound of my breath as I exercise. The silence of momentary isolation. The sound of the shower. The silence of the shower. The sound of my older daughter as she resists getting dressed. The silence of my younger daughter when I pick her up. The sound of leaving the apartment. The silence in the elevator. The sound of the subway. The silence on our walk to preschool. The sound of children in a classroom. The silence of leaving my daughter. The sound of the subway again. The silence of my office. The sound of morning talks with coworkers. The silence of reading the morning news online. The sound of legal writing. The silence of my daydreams. The sound of crunchy salads for lunch. The silence of legal research. The sound of phone calls to my wife. The silence of love. The sound of rushing home from work. The silence in the hallway. The sound of entering the apartment. The silence of hugging one’s children. The sounds of dinner with two children under 4 years old. The silence of releasing them from the dinner table. The sounds of the bath. The silence of drying. The sound of reading books. The silence of good night. The sound of resistance. The silence eventually. The sound of my wife’s voice. The silence of the cat next to me. The sound of our favorite television shows. The silence of getting to bed. The sound of words in my head. The silence of letting go.
For all these things, I am thankful.