On Monday, we were given a worksheet with lenient directions to go listen to what is around us as we walk to different places. The first place I went was the Duck Pond on campus because it is away from all the hustle bustle of campus and it is a quiet place to just relax. It also reminds me of the ponds in front of my house back home.
While at the Duck Pond, I watched ducks glide across the pond, birds congregate in trees, and geese go “fishing”. There were other people around me, but I managed to block them out and focus on what most would miss. While focusing on the natural world and not the human aspect of the pond, I was able to hear the geese and ducks swimming under the water and pushing against the water with their feet. I heard a turtle break the surface and then stealthily slip back under where he thought I could not see him. It is amazing at what you can hear if you just stop and listen.
I then went to Main Street in Blacksburg. Talk about a definite shift in speed. Main Street is always busy. There were cars and people, stop signs and traffic lights. Bikes and mopeds. Everyone was running around the sidewalk trying to get to a job, a meeting, a friends house, a party, anywhere fast. It seems as though no one truly stops to take in the moment. If they stop, they would be able to hear the footsteps of people as they walk by, the soft sound of jackets swishing as people walk, and bookbags softly tapping peoples backs. It’s amazing what you can hear when you stop and listen.
It is the same when it comes to Bluegrass music as well. The newer music, formally known as “New Grass” may not initially sound the same as what Bill Monroe played, but if you listen close, the fiddle still whines, the banjo still resonates, and the guitar still has the old twang to it.
