Sound to me is like chocolate. I like it in small amounts. When I get to take nibbles of sound bites here and there, it satiates my need for mental activity and brings me to a place where I feel a perfect buzz. Like one square of 70% dark chocolate melting slowly on my tongue.
But when sound turns into noise?
It’s like my body has been forced to sit down at an “All You Can Eat Chocolate” buffet line. The pleasure is gone. I feel ill and bloated. I can’t think straight because I’m so jacked up on sugar and caffeine. By the time the third bar is finished – all the joy of chocolate has been demolished. Self loathing follows, and I vow off chocolate forever (or at least until tomorrow….)
As a city dweller, I realize life exposes me to more sound than is needed. Friends of mine who live in the country ask me how I live in Toronto with “all that noise”. I half joke with them explaining how I spend my day scurrying from one quiet space to another. I zigzag across Toronto from yoga studio to yoga studio, soaking up the serenity of these little pockets of peace.
I think this is why Yoga has boomed in city centers. On a gut level, we know we’re in noise and stimulation overload. We seek out quiet spaces to give our bodies and minds that pseudo-nature like experience we are craving in our bones.
Having been made to sit still in the quiet a lot these past few weeks, it’s as if my body has gone through a sort of noise detox. When I step outside now, I feel the effects of noise much more. The natural immunity I once had towards loud things has worn away and the harshness of it hits me like nails on a chalkboard – the worst sound ever. (….do schools even have chalkboards anymore? I feel old).
So what I’m saying is – find your quiet space. Give yourself the gift of a calm corner in this crazy and cacophonous city. At first the quiet can seem foreign. Just like dark chocolate doesn’t always appeal to the palate the first time you try it, but gradually your body forms a liking to it. You start to crave it. You make room for it in your life. Gradually the quiet becomes a wholesome feast you willingly dive into daily. You leave the table feeling full, peaceful and ready to take on the day.
I hope you find peace today. I hope the quiet our hearts and souls crave is granted to you. And just like dark chocolate – may it bring you pleasure and joy.
