Noises

I am not a loud noise person.  By that I mean, I really don't like super loud noises.  I don't like reoccurring annoying noises that I get fixated on either.  A while back I told you about sleeping with the box fan on and how it drowns out all noises.  That's good because it drowns out all noises, but it's also bad because it drowns out all noises.  For instance, last night, I just happened to be awake around 3:30 (just happened, i.e., sweet Josie had crashed on my back and was purring loudly) and could hear something outside.  It sounded like a motor or engine.  Was it coming closer?  Was someone coming down our long driveway?  Jay heard it too and got up to investigate.

It was a train.  We live seven miles south of town.  It is not unusual for us to hear the train, but it seemed much louder than normal.  Jay works shift work and one of my biggest fears when he works nights is that someone will drive down our lane at night, either on purpose or by accident.  When I hear vehicles out on the main road, I will sit straight up in bed sometimes wondering if this is the night it will turn down our driveway and head for our house.  Thankfully our dogs will bark, or at least I hope they will, to let me know if someone has approached the house.

 And because I was wide awake and silently cursing the fan, the cat and the train, I started thinking about noises.

At work, I have trouble with noises.  Noises are always a problem for a court reporter because obviously we have to be able to hear to perform our job duties.  The windows in this courthouse desperately need replaced for a couple reasons, but cosmetically-speaking, they appear fine.  My guess is that unless you are on the inside trying to hear, and there is noise outside, you don't realize how much the sounds carry through those windows. 

We can hear actual conversations occurring outside on the sidewalk from the second floor.  No joke.  If you leave the courthouse happy, happy, happy and decide to sing a tune on your way, we can hear you.  If you leave unhappy and decide to curse and yell, we can hear you.  Loud and clear.  If a diesel truck drives by on Main Street, we can hear that engine.  If a motorcycle zooms by, yep, we hear it.  At Christmastime when the business across the street plays Christmas music over the loudspeaker, we hear it.  And although it doesn't bother me for the most part, hearing Celine Dion reach her top key over and over throughout the day begins to wear on a person.

Just last week, we had to tell the guy mowing the courthouse lawn to wrap it up.  When the mower or leaf blower is going, we simply cannot hear.  We're not being persnickety, it is very loud and drowns out everything we need to listen to on the inside.  The rule is, they need to be finished by 9:00 a.m., or mow later in the day.

As I was contemplating noises, I was reminded that a while back I commented to someone that I thought I would rather be deaf than blind.  I could not imagine not being able to see...but lying there in bed in the dark, I began rethinking this.  I get up and use the restroom at least once in the night.  I don't turn on a light.  I walk straight into our bathroom, feel for the toilet, do my business and return to bed.  I hardly even bump into things because I know the path...without even looking.

What would it be like to be able to walk around in the daylight but not hear one single sound?  When out on a walk, I know, without even having to look, when a car is coming close...because I hear it.  When Jay or the kids come in the house, I know, without looking, because I hear the door shut or their loud footsteps.  I don't need to be able to see to know that someone is calling me on the phone.  I hear it.

I'm not advocating for becoming blind anytime soon.  I can't imagine not having my sight or hearing.  Can't imagine.  But I do have a different outlook on hearing.  I didn't realize how important noises could be.  Maybe if I had to do without one sense, it would be smell.  There are many scents I would love to never smell again (Jay & Madolyn).