love, love, love.... I've always been amazed at how quickly a shrill sound can make me argumentative and sometimes even semi-angry.. I'm gonna be hanging around more trees and bushes for goodness sake.... I always wonder in regards to hearing if we don't sometimes hear what we want to hear..... In other words you and I walking down the sidewalk of a busy New York City street one of us just might hear a child's voice ahead holding his mother's hand.... While the other does not.... And then the person in front of us drops coins and they clink... One of us instantly notices while the other one still listens to the child's voice.. hmmmmm... I have discovered that sometimes sounds even bring out our prejudices and greediness.... Oh maybe it's just me.... Great words Betsy....
I love this notion, Barry, and I think you could really be on to something. Sort of the glass half full concept as applied to what we hear. Or focusing on what we want to cultivate more of in our lives. Definitely not just you! And I also think we might want to make a bumper sticker that reads "Hang around more bushes and trees, for GOODNESS' sake!" 😊
Your narratives always trigger so many thoughts, memories, feelings. I am awakened to the leaf blower someone is using nearby, and permit myself to acknowledge my annoyance. For today, I will seek and celebrate pleasing, reassuring sounds—both those from my natural environment and from within my little living space. My pup, curled up to me just moaned in pleasure to be snuggled next to me.
Ah, leaf blowers. If I remember correctly, they're even worse than lawn mowers on decibel ratings. Ay-ay-ay! I love your focus on "for today," Sherry. Because we all know how difficult it is for us humans to not be distracted by all the NOISE of living (physical and otherwise). The doggie has it right! Snuggle up next to something you love, and soak it in. Thanks for commenting!
♥️ the impact of your words today speaks to a step back ... a gentling and slowing - making time to hear all of it. I need a seasonal slow down♥️
Spending quite a bit of time in my own company, I’m fine chuckling at the conversations that I have with myself- sometimes disguised as chats with my pets😉. That need to move my thoughts out of my head and into the air-
I realize now that I don’t do that when I am in the woods... it all goes quiet there.
Hmmm-more food for thought brought on by Chicken Scratch ♥️
It all goes quiet there... That is such a delicious and inviting phrase, Kate. That's really the point of it all, right? There's no one right way, but nurturing opportunities for stillness, or for less stimulation, is the goal. For the short period of my life that I called myself a runner, I remember "needing" music for motivation and pacing, so I mostly ran with earbuds and a playlist. But, on rare occasion when I left them behind, the experience was so much more...expansive. Thanks for adding your thoughts to the conversation!
I'm sorry about the pot lid. There are certain loud noises that hit me in the chest and make me very anxious indeed. Overhead thunder is one, gale force gusts of wind are another. Breaking ceramics or glass, high-pitched single notes. I enjoy being around trees, but I also love bleak, empty landscapes - moorland most of all.
Oh, thanks for the sympathy, June! It was a sad few moments - and truth be told, I'm hoping to find a replacement, even if it doesn't match, because the pot itself is still quite functional! 😁
Every sound you name is one that also causes me a moment of discomfort, that startle effect that makes my heart feel a little bunchy. We don't use the term moorland here in the U.S. (though I think you have just inspired me to do so!), but we do have expanses of untouched land. Where I live, it's mostly marshy and probably wouldn't fit the true definition, but that's what is accessible for me. When I find myself surrounded by broad swaths of land with more hills, or even mountains, I feel a very deep connection, as if from another life.
Thank you, Susan. It means so much to know you are finding relatable material here, and am grateful for the comment. Also glad to know you're enjoying the audio (despite it's wrinkles)!
Two ends of the sound spectrum indeed! I feel a bit foolish for having never considered adding my own music selection to any of my phone's tones. Pat yourself on the back for the inspiration I now have to do so!
Montgomery County leads the way on many state initiatives. Can't quite say the same over here! Thanks for the comment, Stew, as always.
I'm so sad - the lid of that teapot just sang to me. Blue and taupe, my favourite colour combination. I just lost my favourite teacup - a blue patterned Spode and feel for you.
The sound thing is fascinating isn't it? I love peace but in fact I doubt there's every perfect silence. Silence is made of fragments of life from a perfect world, isn't it? I often listen to a meditation app and they talk about the space between sounds, and honestly, I'm damned if I can find a space between. Sounds just seem to flow. Maybe it's an enlightenment thing...
I did laugh at your Tassie Devils - their cry is the embodiment of the First Circle of Hell. I can say that 'cos I'm a Tasmanian living in Tasmania.
But Elizabeth, the really lovely thing about this post, the synchronicity of it is that you chose an alarm tone that is actually my ring tone. It's heavenly, isn't it? Maybe we're making up for the First Circle of Hell!
First Circle of Hell! Haha! I've never heard a Tasmanian Devil in person. Must be hair raising, to say the least!
I love that we've found ourselves attracted to the same phone sound, and synchronicity is the best word for it. Unsurprising somehow, it seems to me.
I think the absence of sound only exists in science labs. There was a time we thought there was no sound in space, but now I think the conclusion is that sound exists there, we just can't hear it.
I need to give more consideration to the sounds of different trees. I'm not one to choose favorites, so I'm reluctant to jump on the pines-are-best bandwagon. I think, like anything, it all depends on what you expect.
Love all these thoughts, Prue, and I hope you find a new favorite teacup soon!
love, love, love.... I've always been amazed at how quickly a shrill sound can make me argumentative and sometimes even semi-angry.. I'm gonna be hanging around more trees and bushes for goodness sake.... I always wonder in regards to hearing if we don't sometimes hear what we want to hear..... In other words you and I walking down the sidewalk of a busy New York City street one of us just might hear a child's voice ahead holding his mother's hand.... While the other does not.... And then the person in front of us drops coins and they clink... One of us instantly notices while the other one still listens to the child's voice.. hmmmmm... I have discovered that sometimes sounds even bring out our prejudices and greediness.... Oh maybe it's just me.... Great words Betsy....
I love this notion, Barry, and I think you could really be on to something. Sort of the glass half full concept as applied to what we hear. Or focusing on what we want to cultivate more of in our lives. Definitely not just you! And I also think we might want to make a bumper sticker that reads "Hang around more bushes and trees, for GOODNESS' sake!" 😊
Your narratives always trigger so many thoughts, memories, feelings. I am awakened to the leaf blower someone is using nearby, and permit myself to acknowledge my annoyance. For today, I will seek and celebrate pleasing, reassuring sounds—both those from my natural environment and from within my little living space. My pup, curled up to me just moaned in pleasure to be snuggled next to me.
Ah, leaf blowers. If I remember correctly, they're even worse than lawn mowers on decibel ratings. Ay-ay-ay! I love your focus on "for today," Sherry. Because we all know how difficult it is for us humans to not be distracted by all the NOISE of living (physical and otherwise). The doggie has it right! Snuggle up next to something you love, and soak it in. Thanks for commenting!
♥️ the impact of your words today speaks to a step back ... a gentling and slowing - making time to hear all of it. I need a seasonal slow down♥️
Spending quite a bit of time in my own company, I’m fine chuckling at the conversations that I have with myself- sometimes disguised as chats with my pets😉. That need to move my thoughts out of my head and into the air-
I realize now that I don’t do that when I am in the woods... it all goes quiet there.
Hmmm-more food for thought brought on by Chicken Scratch ♥️
It all goes quiet there... That is such a delicious and inviting phrase, Kate. That's really the point of it all, right? There's no one right way, but nurturing opportunities for stillness, or for less stimulation, is the goal. For the short period of my life that I called myself a runner, I remember "needing" music for motivation and pacing, so I mostly ran with earbuds and a playlist. But, on rare occasion when I left them behind, the experience was so much more...expansive. Thanks for adding your thoughts to the conversation!
I'm sorry about the pot lid. There are certain loud noises that hit me in the chest and make me very anxious indeed. Overhead thunder is one, gale force gusts of wind are another. Breaking ceramics or glass, high-pitched single notes. I enjoy being around trees, but I also love bleak, empty landscapes - moorland most of all.
Oh, thanks for the sympathy, June! It was a sad few moments - and truth be told, I'm hoping to find a replacement, even if it doesn't match, because the pot itself is still quite functional! 😁
Every sound you name is one that also causes me a moment of discomfort, that startle effect that makes my heart feel a little bunchy. We don't use the term moorland here in the U.S. (though I think you have just inspired me to do so!), but we do have expanses of untouched land. Where I live, it's mostly marshy and probably wouldn't fit the true definition, but that's what is accessible for me. When I find myself surrounded by broad swaths of land with more hills, or even mountains, I feel a very deep connection, as if from another life.
I love listening to you. Your commentary on life is always so inspiring. Thank you.
Thank you, Susan. It means so much to know you are finding relatable material here, and am grateful for the comment. Also glad to know you're enjoying the audio (despite it's wrinkles)!
Thanks, E., for your insight and sharing.
Gas powered leaf blowers will be illegal in Montgomery County...in two years. They make lawn mowers sound like music boxes, to my ears.
My iPhone alarm has, for years, been the first movement of Bach's English Suite No. 4. Glenn Gould.
There should be a Leaf Blower/Bach rating system out there somewhere: two ends of the sound spectrum.
Two ends of the sound spectrum indeed! I feel a bit foolish for having never considered adding my own music selection to any of my phone's tones. Pat yourself on the back for the inspiration I now have to do so!
Montgomery County leads the way on many state initiatives. Can't quite say the same over here! Thanks for the comment, Stew, as always.
I'm so sad - the lid of that teapot just sang to me. Blue and taupe, my favourite colour combination. I just lost my favourite teacup - a blue patterned Spode and feel for you.
The sound thing is fascinating isn't it? I love peace but in fact I doubt there's every perfect silence. Silence is made of fragments of life from a perfect world, isn't it? I often listen to a meditation app and they talk about the space between sounds, and honestly, I'm damned if I can find a space between. Sounds just seem to flow. Maybe it's an enlightenment thing...
I did laugh at your Tassie Devils - their cry is the embodiment of the First Circle of Hell. I can say that 'cos I'm a Tasmanian living in Tasmania.
But Elizabeth, the really lovely thing about this post, the synchronicity of it is that you chose an alarm tone that is actually my ring tone. It's heavenly, isn't it? Maybe we're making up for the First Circle of Hell!
And finally, I thought you might like this link. It speaks of trees and sounds and I especially appreciate the comment by Liu Chi https://www.awatrees.com/2013/01/06/psithurism-the-sound-of-wind-whispering-through-the-trees/
First Circle of Hell! Haha! I've never heard a Tasmanian Devil in person. Must be hair raising, to say the least!
I love that we've found ourselves attracted to the same phone sound, and synchronicity is the best word for it. Unsurprising somehow, it seems to me.
I think the absence of sound only exists in science labs. There was a time we thought there was no sound in space, but now I think the conclusion is that sound exists there, we just can't hear it.
I need to give more consideration to the sounds of different trees. I'm not one to choose favorites, so I'm reluctant to jump on the pines-are-best bandwagon. I think, like anything, it all depends on what you expect.
Love all these thoughts, Prue, and I hope you find a new favorite teacup soon!