Noises are funny. Well, sometimes they are.....Some noises startle us, and others are soothing. For those of us who are lucky, life is full of noise. If I had to choose between losing my sight or losing my hearing, I would opt to give up my sight. I have beautiful memories of sunsets, sunrises, my children, my grandchildren, my parents and all those I love. All those pictures occupy my mind. Forever.
But noises are different. Although I hear them, and they are familiar, I don't carry them in my mind the way I do pictures. Hearing certain noises evokes those pictures in my mind. Hearing them again and again strengthens the memories.
Part of my comfort level is knowing what the sounds are that occupy my space with me: the screech of the screen door in the kitchen, the beep-beep-beep-beep of the alarm system when the door is opened. The monotonous, droning complaints of the washing machine as it cleans my clothes, the hum of the dryer as it dries them, and the buzzer when it is finally through.
The unmistakable clank of the mail slot, as the mail drops through, followed by the incessant barking of Miss Cinnamon, announcing that the mail person has invaded her space.
I remember sitting at my kitchen table, talking to my mother, when there was a sudden racket from down the hall. She was startled by the noise and wondered aloud: “what was that?” I smiled and told her not to worry, it was just my little boys dumping their Legos on their bedroom floor. It was a new noise for her, but a very familiar one for me.
As I walk through this house, the hardwood floors squeak. I have been told, by countless visitors, how to make the floors stop squeaking but, I have only one question: why would I want to do that? It's hard to be lonely when the floors talk to you. And they tell me when someone is walking towards me, too. I like that. I startle easily and I guess the floors know that.
Some sounds leave me with mixed emotions. I heard rain on the roof last night. It's always nice to realize that we are warm and safe in our beds when it's pouring rain, I think. But, I am working today, so rain means getting wet and cold. And that's not so comforting.
And it seems to me that attitude affects sounds, just as the rain affects me. Some people wake up angry because the person next to them is snoring. Others of us are just glad to hear someone else breathing, close by.
Sometimes we are mortified by the sounds that emanate from our bodies, and hope that no one noticed. Unless, of course, you are a child, and then the “proper” thing to do is announce to anyone who can hear: “I farted!” And, looking at the child's face, there is usually a look of joy and pride in their accomplishment.
Noises.......it's a matter of perception, I guess.
It seems to me that we spend a lot of time tuning out ambient noise, and trying to focus on the tasks at hand. Perhaps it would be better to tune out the task at hand and listen to the noises that surround us.
Right now, I'm hearing the refrigerator hum........and black birds in the backyard.
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