Excerpts from the Guest Book

On Monday the 6th, I took the garden down. It is now installed on my front porch, where it clashes terribly with my ugly mauvish rental house, but I don't have room inside to store it, and at least it makes our house look a little more colorful.


I found that when the garden was up, I made more time in my day to listen. I enjoyed the garden more than anyone, I'm sure.

There was a guest book in the garden for the entire week. Here are some comments from the book:

"...a great reminder of how easy it is to pause for a moment. i hear...crickets, lawnmowers in the distance, cars passing by, my own deep breaths, an air conditioning system in a nearby building, birds, the creak of the chair when i rock, rustling leaves in the breeze. i only got one opportunity to make noise, and it was better that way..."

"...thank you all so much for this wonderful park. Just going out for an afternoon walk, I stumbled over this meditation space as I may call it for myself. My sound was the song "what a friend we have in Jesus". I felt so good..."

"...What a wonderful way to be silent and still. I stopped for a spell after returning to the park from lunch. I'm spellbound..."

"...10am back for the 4th time since I discovered this space and the wind is enough to move the whirligigs. Hooray!..."

"... came by around 6, but it wasn't windy. Tried playing some blues with guitar and trumpet. Difficulty with the transpositions..."

"...lovely childrens garden. The orange chairs inspire conversation on a windless day..."

"...love the orange chairs against the green grass. Dead still wind but the space is inviting and meditative. Light fading, bird sounds shifting to insects and tree frogs. A cricket, tree frog, background noise dominates punctuated by more percussive insect sounds and the occasional crescendo of tree frog sounds..."

"...It's wonderful to see how you have created (or rather honored) the space here. I never noticed it before, and I have been here dozens of times. What used to feel mundane now feels sacred..."

"...I sit in the Listening Garden and listen to my thoughts. I sit and listen to my kids as they play with the big turtle."

"...Even the traffic is muted. I didn't hear the leaf fall but watched it float from sky to grass."

"...In the Glen, quiet, then finally a breeze blew! Wow! Whirly Gigs Spin!"

"The wind is still. The crickets rub legs and sing. Traffic and voices at the pavilion expand in the background. I love the swish of distant traffic and the crickets singing their songs. A bird chirps stacatto!"

"...great spot! "tiene much duende""

"...I enjoy this quiet space within a world of man-made and nature sounds. The birds chirping remind me that peace comes from within, not through being isolated from external stimulus. Thanks for this moment"...

Cy Rawls

I just think about his smile and his eyes, and how little he had to say to be an integral part of our music scene and community of friends.

I've put a memory book in a metal lunchbox at the garden for Cy's friends to write a little if they feel like it, and will pass the journal and any mementos anyone leaves on to Cy's family at the memorial service.

I had many thoughts about consciousness when I sat and thought about Cy in the garden. The wind is so full of presence and life that I felt him there and know that he must be in a place of beauty and peace.
Again, I met some visitors who didn't know Cy, but asked about him when they saw the dedication sign I put up. We had a very substantial conversation about life and God and the importance of listening to your inner voice and following your own path, which I know Cy always did.

Day 4 at The Listening Garden

I met a friend at The Listening Garden today - Trinity - she is just old enough to sign her name in the guest book. Trinity noticed the cricket sounds in The Listening Garden. In the guest book, someone wrote about a song that came to her mind while reflecting in The Listening Garden ("What a friend we have in Jesus)". I've noticed several people around more than once - sometimes I feel like I need to stay away just to let others have a chance to be themselves in The Listening Garden. I've felt that I need to visit several times a day to make sure everything is still working, and have also found myself feeling responsible for keeping the trash out of the area. When items from the installation get moved, I feel tense about it, but I actually think it's a good thing. People have been moving the chairs around, which I think means they are enjoying the space as a public place, not a piece of art to be observed only.

Even though I created the garden, I am still mesmerized when one of my whirligigs (or several) start moving. I'm pretty happy with the garden as a first installation, though I give my construction a C, and definitely plan to continue this space mapping project. The opening performance was beautiful - the performers and audience get major credit for their intense focus and willingness to experience the lengthy interludes of stillness during the hour long piece.