Noise

Have you noticed the tv ad where the grumpy dad expresses his missing of his young adult daughter, clearly just moved to the big city, with lots of complaints and suggestions, until they meet on common ground at a beloved coffee shop? I like her line "I like the noise!"

At this moment I'm sitting alone in the office, keeping one eye on the driveway, lest someone come in who needs attention, one ear out for the door-bell (in case I miss the drive-by) and listening to the noise from the street and the parking lot next door. And I'm thinking "I like this noise."

You're aware that I have moved from the centre of this small city out to the edge where the noise is of quite a different quality. In fact, it's not unlike the office just now. The most prevalent sound is...nothing. It's generally a very quiet place to be. The quiet makes it possible to hear the noises that most of the time get missed. Seldom is there real, deep quiet. Almost always there's some sort of noise around us.

But we get used to tuning it out. I recall growing up on a farm that was crossed by a railroad track. People would visit us and would invariably ask: how do you stand having that train running so close to you? Doesn't it disturb your sleep?

We never heard it! Just as the current flight path over our house to the newly international Waterloo airport is hardly noticeable. I'll hear a new bird before I'll notice the noise of that regular afternoon flight.

I'm thinking that much of the time my life chugs along. There's "noise" that comes in so many forms. People around come and go, experience joy and sorrow, have their own ups and downs that just become so much ambient sound for me. It's so easy to just become accustomed to the comings and goings that it takes something really unusual or surprising or jarring to catch my attention. I suppose it's normal, even necessary that we not notice everything.

But once in awhile I want to remember that those noises out there are the indications that your life matters to me to. If we are to be in community, then I must remember that I do like the noise. I have to look up from my own life now and then and connect with you and yours. I hope not to forget that. If I do, though, please make some noise!

Posted by Marion