Rebecca: There is a great peacefulness in the past. When I stood in Williamsburg in 1798 for the first time, I was struck by the quiet. We take in so many sounds today they we are not even aware of them. When you strip away all the cacophony of technology, -construction, traffic, conversations, airplanes- you become overwhelmed with the silence. With very few people and farm animals per square mile, ambient noise is reduced to insect buzzing, moos, neighs, and dogs barking. That silence is so soothing. You just want to stand there and listen to it. Of course, as we moved into more urban towns and cities less sleepy than withering Williamsburg, the silence was less frequent. But I’ll never forget that first time I was immersed in it. The world was a simple, serene place then, if only for a moment. I think we all need those moments, don’t you?