This morning I heard two very dissimilar sounds at 4:16. First I heard the earliest birds whistling their songs somewhere outside. Since I had the window cracked open to let the mild spring air in, I could easily hear the first notes of their singing. It was a mellow way to start the morning – a gentle melody from somewhere out in the darkness. Next, I heard a different sound – the noise of a large truck backing up on the street. I looked out and saw a man from the power company raising himself up in a bucket to work on an electrical pole. The truck engine was running rather loudly, so I knew I wouldn’t be hearing any bird songs for a while. Finding that disappointing and frustrating, I mumbled irritably as I tried to do my spiritual reading. To my surprise, however, the truck pulled away in just a few minutes, and I was left with an even softer silence than before. Soon I could hear the birds singing their tunes again as I turned the pages of my book.