Noise

Yesterday I had a difficult day at work. Not because it was busy, but because it wasn't. I don't tolerate boredom well and after affixing address stickers to 500 brochures I decided to take my lunch to the park and read a book in the sunshine.

I was sitting there munching on Subway and mulling over what my family says are the vagaries of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged when a sudden breeze caught the fancy of the redbud's leaves over my picnic table and the noise, quite like the mixture of rushing wind and water, caused a sudden transformation of scene in my mind to the middle of the ocean. I closed my eyes, and for a few minutes I was there - even to the point of drawing the rolling motion from the memory banks of last week's sail.

While not the stuff of great philosophical treatises or the wannabees like the well-worn tome I held in my hand, I was nonetheless overcome with the realization that I live with a lot of meaningless noise. Copiers, computers, fans, lathes (I work for a machine shop), trucks, and an assorment of whining of various tones depending on which coworker I happen to be standing near. This simple tree brought home the point so well that one of the greatest reasons I want to go cruising is to trade off these meaningless noises for those of some worth - the primeval screech of the great blue heron,the high-pitched whistle of wind in the rigging, the gentle flapping of the flag, the churning of the wake at the bow, the frogs and crickets near shore, and best of all, the laughter.

When I got back to my office and faced the ever growing pile of brochures, I decided that if I can't eliminate these noises I would at least cover them up and began to search for some music to listen to while I worked. If your noises are becoming unbearable and you, like me, can't make it to the middle of the ocean on your favorite sailboat, you can at least enjoy some happy sounds in the form of Tommy Emmanuel. Enjoy!