Hear it -- Feel it....

As I sit here listening to the sound of the waves rolling in and out from my kitchen, I think about how these sounds affect me.  We are all impacted emotionally by sound – they can make us happy, sad, angry, excited, nostalgic, and more.  I am very influenced by the feelings that sounds bring forth,  and  I wonder about people who are deaf.  What do they hear in their heads?  Do they imagine sounds when they see things – and what do they sound like if they do?  I’m sure people describe sounds to them or read descriptions, but I just wonder what they actually sound like to them.  My great Uncle and Aunt were deaf.  They lived very normal lives, just like all of us.  I'm sure they "heard" sounds -- just differently than we do - maybe more clearly.  I wish I’d asked them these questions.   I’d love to know.

I can pinpoint my favorite sounds and least favorite sounds…as I’m sure we all can if we think about it.   I’ll cover my least favorite and get it out of the way….  I cannot stand the sound of TV as background sound when no one is watching.  I don’t mind it if someone is watching, but if it’s just on and left, it brings on a very stressful feeling.  My husband loves to have the TVs on – in every single room, whether he is there or not.   He says he doesn't hear what it's saying, but he enjoys the sound. I am convinced that when my husband hears my voice he has the same feeling he gets with the TV playing in the background.  He knows I'm talking,  usually likes that I'm there,  but doesn't hear a word I'm saying!  HA

I have two favorite sounds.  The first is that of a dove cooing.  It evokes many emotions – nostalgic, calm, hopeful feelings.  Everywhere I’ve ever lived, doves have been outside my window cooing away, and that one constant has given me comfort.  At first when I hear it, I am immediately taken back to my childhood, visiting my grandparents in Marion, IN.  I loved their old house, and I would lie on the bed in the back bedroom with the windows open, and just listen to the doves.  Doves come visit at my very favorite parts of the day – in the early morning and at dusk -- my calmest parts of my day – before I’m revved up, and when I’m ready to kick back.   Their calls can impact my emotions.  They say.  “peace”, and invariably after I hear a dove cooing, that is what I feel.

The sound of my husband talking to my daughters downstairs when I’m upstairs is right up there with doves in terms of making me feel calm and happy.  There is nothing to me like that sound.   Tom  has this slow deep southern drawl.  When he would read books to the kids when they were little, I would  curl up and listen too.  His voice was like a caress at those times, and it had a magical way of making the kids relax.  He takes on that voice when he talks to the kids even now - interested, understanding, caring.  They respond in a quiet introspective manner - really examining and  sharing their thoughts.  The sound of  my normal conversations with the girls would be very different if someone listened - faster pace, more energetic, lighter -  talking about everyday things in their lives, with playful banter.   Since Tom is only home a few days a week, his interaction is special – slow - deep - important – heartfelt.   I treasure that sound, and I will often delay joining the conversation so I can prolong the feeling.

I love the obvious sounds of the waves crashing, horns blowing in the city, the echoes across a lake of people having fun, children laughing,  the announcers, bands and cheers at a sporting event.  They calm, energize and just give me a general sense of happiness.

Of course music is a sound we all love – all of our old favorite songs that immediately whisk us back in time to that very moment – that very specific emotional memory.   It’s usually 70”s-80’s music when I clean or do menial tasks around the house.  I can be dragging my feet, procrastinating  -- then I turn on music, and I start to work. I love most genres of  music,  but when I have to be productive, I gravitate toward classic rock: Journey, Foreigner, Supertramp, Styx, Eagles, to name a few.  Cooking is reserved for the crooners and jazz: Diana Krall, Rod Stewart doing the classics, Michael Buble’, Boney James, Miles Davis,  Coldplay.  And of course anything by my man Burt Bacharach is included on every single playlist except  my workout playlist.  That is  straight up fast and intense, with  my favorite work out song being Motley Crue's "Goin out Swingin".   The sound of music creates a mood which then translates into action - think Marvin Gaye or Luther...

We all have specific songs that take us back – make us feel something --  happy, sad, and what I call happy/sad.    There are tons of songs that make me remember specific times in my life, but some stand out more than others.   The primary ones that remind me most of my childhood would be  “A House is Not a Home” and  “One Less Bell to Answer” by Burt Bacharach.  I remember waking up on Saturday mornings in our new apt, in Indianapolis after my parents were divorced (I was 5), and hearing my mom vacuuming and singing along to these.  These songs make me a little sad, but they also bring on a feeling of comfort - of home.  My mom loved Burt Bacharach first, and that is when I too fell in love with him and have stayed true for 43 years.   California Dreamin by the Mamas and the Papas always makes me laugh because  I used to think it said  “All the Lisa Brown” instead of “Leaves are brown”.  Of course that didn’t make any sense, but I was convinced for several years that my name was in this song!  Ha-ha   Then there is the Beatles' “Here Comes the Sun”.  My dad would sing that to me  when I visited.  That one makes me happy/sad.   I call “Have I told you lately that I love you” by Rod Stewart my “divorce song” – since I realized that my now ex-husband hadn’t – and it clicked.  Of course anything by Barney or Joe Scruggs reminds me of when the kids were little and propels me back to the happiest memories of my life.   My husband sang "Lady in Red" as I walked past him at a meeting years before we were dating (I should have known I was in trouble....), and I  can’t hear anything by Barry White without immediately associating it with Tom - his signature song being "You're the First, the Last, My Everything".

Then finally there are the sounds of Freedom…  Living here so close to Camp Lejeune we have fighter jets, carrier planes, helicopters, etc. flying over at all times,  along with  practice bombs being set off on the barrier islands.  These sounds used to bother me – make me nervous.  Now I hear them and I feel a blanket of security cover me.  I love knowing that our wonderful service men and women are out there protecting us.   This is one of those deep sounds – the ones that make you think –-  think of the state of our world, the sacrifices these amazing service men and women and their families are making for our freedom.  They make you wonder about the future – our children’s future - and to hope.    

So, sounds are an important part of my life – of all our lives, I’m sure.  Taking the time to step back and listen – and feel - is important to me.  I hope we all take this time and think about our  favorite sounds and what they mean to us…   Sounds are personal -- they evoke different feelings in different people.  I bet many are the same, and some may surprise us, but they all leave an impression.