When I was a child, I hated the sound of crickets. I found their chirping loud and crude, and they were making it harder for me to sleep at night. But, since I was living in the countryside, there was no escaping the cricket’s songs in summer.

One evening, I was playing cards with my grandfather outside, and their chirping was especially loud. I was really, really annoyed (the fact that I was badly losing probably had something to do with it). I sighed and put my hands on my ear to block the sound. “You don’t like cricket’s chirping?” asked my grandpa. “I hate it; it’s loud and crude, not melodic at all!” “Do you know why they’re making so much noise?” he asked again. “Cause they’re dumb.” He laughed. “Is there a girl you like at school?” I blushed and thought about Elena, the beautiful Greek girl that had my heart racing every time my eyes met her dark flowing hair and incredible blue eyes.

“Well, imagine that girl and you were separated by miles and miles of forest, and the only way you could get together was to sing a specific song to guide her.” “Now, imagine there are monsters all around, much bigger than you, listening to your song in order to find out where you are and eat you. Would you still sing that song?” I nodded defiantly, “Absolutely.”

“Well, that’s exactly what crickets are doing every night. Even though there are all kinds of birds and reptiles waiting in the shadows to eat them, they sing as loudly as possible to attract their partner. Between love and death, they made their choice.”

Since that day, I’ve been in love with the chirping of crickets. It’s become an ode to love and bravery - an anthem to the endless possibilities of a warm summer night. It also reminds me how lucky I’ve been to grow up around a wise grandfather and a blue-eyed Greek beauty with long dark hair.

Whether you want to meditate, study, relax or fall asleep, crickets chirping is the perfect sound to feel calm and protected.