My granddaughter was in a
production of Dancing to Never Land, and I drove to Jefferson City to watch. As
we were waiting for the program to begin, I remembered to silence my phone. While
we patiently waited for her part, I took photos with my spanking new camera to
make sure I could get quality photos.
An hour-and-a half into the
program, my phone began to play a happy tune. What? How could that be? Of
course, it didn’t play its tune during a set change or when the music was loud—oh,
no, it was during a quiet time. Then, it dawned on me—it was my sunset alarm.
Since we’ve been closing the blinds in the evenings, I don’t have my bird’s eye
view of the setting sun, so I set an alarm to remind me to look. Turning off
the ringer and media sound does not silence the alarm.
Last Sunday I heard a phone ringing
during the pastor’s message. It rang, and rang, and rang. I don’t know if the
person was deaf, ignoring the ring, or not wanting to call attention to himself
by pulling out the phone.
Maybe they thought it was someone
else’s phone. That happened to me once many years ago during an Alzheimer’s
Board Meeting with my first cell phone. I could hear a phone ringing and thought,
“How rude!” Except, when I reached my
car I saw I had missed several phone calls. My son wanted me to know that we
were under a tornado warning. He didn’t know I was in a different town at a
meeting.
Then, there’s always the talker
that won’t stop when a prayer begins. They are way too involved in a
conversation to notice everyone has fallen into silence. How annoying that all
you can hear is their conversation instead of the prayer.
When some people are alone, they
have to fill their home with noise—the TV, radio, or some other racket—but I
always loved the quiet. I’ve never found anything more soothing than the sound
of silence, or the quiet sounds of a country night.
I’m not the only one who reveres
silence. Others have provided poetic and practical observations about silence: silence is golden, listen to silence—it has
much to say, speak only if it improves the silence, silence speaks louder than
words, silence says it all…
I saw a TED talk on noise. Julian
Treasure said that most noise in our lives is accidental and unpleasant. Noise
affects us physiologically, psychologically, cognitively, and behaviorally.
Silence or soothing noises can improve
productivity and improve mood.
After leaving a party where dozens
of conversations are going at once, walking out of a noisy restaurant, or
shutting off a too-loud TV, I retreat into my favorite environment of stillness
and relaxation. My mind thinks, “What a
relief!” I’m in my element when all I can hear are the blessed sounds of
silence.
Copyright © June 2017 by L.S.
Fisher
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