I love music of various types and I listen according to the mood I am that day. Unfortunately, in today's world, you can not go hardly anywhere there is not noise and music playing. Even if the music played is something you like, usually too loud, and you must try and ignore all the other surrounding noises if you cared to enjoy.But wait, if not music playing, the tv now is on in many places you go,and there again, not always something you're interested in. When did we become so noise orientated ? What possesses us to continually be in a noisy environment ? Can you really think while all that noise is blaring in your ears? Can you hear the other faint normal sounds of everyday around you? If you tv is on and you're actually doing something else, what do you get out of that other than the subliminal messages coming from the big box? Do not get me wrong,I to have done the same thing, many times. But, there are times, like today when I want to hear nothing-as much as possible. I sit here, and take in all the normal sounds of the day- the clock chiming what time it is,the ticking of another clock, the sounds of the keys as I type. These are things most of us can't possibly hear while the music or tv is blaring. Add a dishwasher, a dryer, a ringing phone, hollering kid, barking dog, plane, train, and some unidentifiable noises, and you are not really thinking anymore. All the more reason, to turn off all the noise makers and just sit...and listen for all the faint sounds way in the distance. There are times, rare now, when going out on the patio early of morning before the sun comes up just to see and hear -of any sounds before the rest of the world wakes up. Easy to do in the country maybe, but not in the city. Alas, you can hear a bird singing.Where did the frogs and cricket go? In the gentle times, of as less sound as possible- I can think, can plan, can reevaluate, and even hear myself breathe .Even the almost sound of nothing, can be calming and therapeutic.
It's not other people who make noise - it's all of us! Sitting on the Underground hearing the "ting ting" of the chap in the next seat listening to his interminable music. The rushing sound in your ears when there is silence, so you can't get to sleep. The undergraduate sprawled on the lawn studying - with cans on her ears. So it seems that any welcome noise, be it music or what else tends to be diminished in importance by other sounds. Tinnitus is the new noisy annoyance.....
That's why I like being at camp. There are no utilities and no sounds other than those made by the creatures in the woods. Peaceful. Other people (my wife) will have a radio on while they are in the woods. I think people get addicted to background noise, but the noise is still there without the electronics, only it's natural.
When we moved from West Texas to Oklahoma (the wife wanted to be near our son and his family) we severely downsized. We had a large house, we bought a small house here, We disposed of loads of furniture and personal items. My wife to her credit handled all the moving and basically the selling of the house. I had emphysema and was really sick. My doc thought I was in the process of dying and I guess I did, too. I did bring a pretty good stereo system with a couple of good speakers. When we moved in we both discovered the house was too small to have on the tv and my stereo.I don't play music much anymore. I sit in front of the tv, my wife sits in front of the tv and I hear it all day long. I have learned to tune it out and often sit at my computer with earphones on. However, when the tv is off and there is absolute silence in the house, it is glorious. I drink in the silence. And we manage.
My wife likes to have noise on at all times, so we have a radio or television on all the time, even while we're sleeping. I don't mind that last part because we usually replay old Art Bell shows, which I like to listen to whenever I wake up during the night. Still, if she's gone I usually don't have anything on, partly because I'm too lazy to look for a station. But we have different tastes in television, for the most part. She likes having news or political commentary on throughout the day, and I hate listening to that stuff sometimes. So we each have our own offices, where I watch movies while I work and she has the news on.
It is very quiet at our house. We can often hear the birds chattering away while they have their breakfast on our feeders. When we want noise we turn on the TV, play our music, etc. but we often just enjoy the quiet now days. Although there are 4 four plex Units where we live all the tenants are quiet too. At one time we had a drug head who was always disturbing everyone's peace with people coming in and out of his Unit at all hours of the day and night...but he finally got busted and will never be living in that Unit again so our quiet is back and we all enjoy it. Even when I'm driving our car I leave the radio off...something I would have never done when I was younger. When I do play music while running errands it is always my Christian music that I put on a flashdrive and plug in so it plays through the radio. This doesn't happen often though as for some reason I just like the peace and quiet more and more these days. For a short while there was alot of hammering, etc. noise from the new Unit that is going up and the workers would play there spanish music station too. But that only lasted a short time and now the things are quiet once again outside even though the new Unit is still being painted, etc. When I want noise I know where to find it...but as I've gotten older I much prefer peace and quiet and I feel blessed to live where I can experience these things most of the time.
Both @Bobby Cole and I often talk about how much we miss living in the country, and if it were possible, we would probably move and live somewhere that the only sounds were birds and other wildlife. When we had the trailer in Idaho, we enjoyed watching the deer, and seeing the hawks and eagles flying above the trees, and listening to the wind sighing in the pine and fir trees. At night, the whole heavens were full of stars , and even the lonely howling of the coyotes was a part of the evening. Here, there are people up and down the street at all hours of the day and night, yelling and fighting, or just playing their radio at extreme decibels. There are always sirens wailing as the fire truck and the ambulance roar past on the busy street nearby. When we relax at night, we seldom ever turn on the television except for a few programs that Bobby enjoys, and otherwise, we use our iPads and headphones, so we do not disturb each other, and the house is quiet. I have never been one of those people who needs a radio or television blaring in the background, and much prefer silence, and reading an interesting book to watching television.
We're lucky...very similar to @Babs Hunt here... I'm sitting here now... I have the windows open even though we have high winds today... but all I can hear are the birds at the feeders and in the trees in the garden. I can hear cars go by on the arterial road about a mile away and the odd car go along my road..... ...so because it's generally quiet.. when my neighbours come out and have a normal conversation in their garden , it sounds soo loud..because it's all very quiet here....and probably wouldn't be noticed by anyone used to a much more high volume neighbourhood.. I don't have the TV on if I'm not watching it..neither does my husband... we do play music, but not loud..but I play mine in my own space, and always turn if off if he comes into the room unless he's enjoying it.. and equally he listens to his music in his office/den...but it's never loud enough to annoy the other person. I tend to play most of my music when he's at work anyway... I do listen to the radio in the car.. but it's mainly talk radio with a little bit of music thrown in... I used to always listen to my CD's in the car which I burned myself with my favourite tunes..but I haven't done that in several years now... My nerves get jarred if I'm in the mall and certain stores are playing music at a high level.. I usually leave quickly... The odd thing is...I grew up in a large family in a very noisy city....and so when I first got married I couldn't sleep because of the quiet in the house... I was used to being lulled to sleep by other people's noise in the house and traffic outside...so I used to have to go to sleep with the TV on... It took me about 2 years to break the habit. Now even the slightest noise wakes me...
We set aside some time each day to just sit and listen to the quiet - its relaxing I can't get out of shops quick enough if they have music blaring, just can't think straight
Tinnitus is what I have now. The whistling isn’t bad enough not to allow me to sleep good, but it’s there. In fact, a lot of times, even though the whistling is there, I really don’t hear it and it doesn’t bother me. However, nowadays when wife and I go to a movie, we have foam earplugs with us in case the movie sound gets too loud. I can no longer wear regular muffs on my ears at the shooting range anymore, we had to buy me more expensive electronic muffs for me to wear there. Sometime, sooner or later, I’ll most likely be wearing hearing aids in my ears.
During the weekdays, when wife is at work, I will have the tv on for an hour or so to watch my favorite old Westerns, like Gunsmoke. The rest of the time the tv is off and I’m doing something else. When wife comes home, that “quietness” changes when the tv goes on. She does love tv! When in our vehicle, and we have a cd with us, we will pop it in the player and turn up the volume some. Listening to the songs Jump by Van Halen or I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is always best heard at a louder volume. Same goes for when we are in our boat........ the volume on the music goes up.
Ooooh that's one thing I definitely couldn't stand...Music on our Boat ... the whole point for us of our boat is to be sailing quietly along the river just totally at one with nature... I really dislike it when we're going up the river and a boat is heading towards us filled with noisy youngsters who are playing music loud and clearly had too much alcohol.. That's not to say we don't have tv or music on if we go below deck in the evening... but otherwise playing music on Deck is not relaxing at all for us... and believe me, I love Music almost more than anything else..
Well, have to admit Holly, we do act like a couple of 30ish year olds when on our boat. A nice relaxing ride just isn’t us. And, when tied up to the dock at the Jacksonville Landing, we have a couple of beers while sitting in the boat, but ONLY a couple. Generally, it’s pretty warm and a nice cold Bud Light is “just what the doctor ordered” for us. LOL Do you still have your boat? If “yes”, what kind?
Each to their own Cody , and whatever makes you enjoy your leisure time.. as long as it's not hurting anyone else, then you can do whatever makes you happy. yes we still have our boat it's a 4 berth 70 foot Narrow Boat ..also known as a Canal Boat... and sometimes a Barge, but barges tend to be more wide beamed..
I forgot to mention that we also love to hear the "music" of the windchimes we have hanging in the Oak tree. There is only one set and it is a set our neighbor bought for us for keeping an eye on his place while he winters in Florida. When the wind blows this set of chimes it plays the sweetest music.