Noise Noise Noise

Our television signal comes from one of those mini-satellite dishes. To view TV from the dish, you have to run the signal through a special receiver, and wouldn't you know it, awhile back the receiver died. It was still under warranty, which meant that the manufacturer shipped us a new one without charge. Wahoo!

Unfortunately, that also meant that I had to wait for the new one to arrive. Not wahoo.

So, I took all my stuff, meaning laptop and pillows and doggies and moved into another room to camp out there for my daily naps, where we had a small TV that only received a few local channels.

No big deal, you say?

But, but, but.........I always watch.......and then after that this comes on.......and if nothing else I always have the news channel on because what if something big happened somewhere in the world.......

Well, hey now. (Julia slaps herself upside the head). Could I be somewhat addicted to that never ending source of babble and images? Me? What? No, never.

Heck, yeah.

That television wasn't even worth turning on since I don't do soap operas or Sesame Street these days. Instead, during my down times, I read or actually napped. And remarkably, I became accustomed to and even began to enjoy the quiet as I went about my daily routine. After a few days I noticed that after being unwillingly placed in a quiet environment, when I did go to a place where there was incessant noise of any kind I responded to all that stimulus by feeling that my nerves were on edge. I felt impatient, even a bit anxious. When I escaped to quiet, I felt much calmer and refreshed.

It was an interesting environmental change experiment forced upon me by broken technology. But in retrospect, I could see how my response to noise and what some physicians call "noxious stimulus" - love that phrase - has evolved over that past years.

Mark it up to age, or menopause, the Sjogren's-caused tinnitus ringing in my ears, or whatever, after a lifetime filled with noise during every waking moment, I have found myself tolerating attention-demanding stimulus less effectively. My ability to triage the importance of all that noise has decreased over the last few years. Or, to state it more accurately, I find myself blurting, "WILL you turn that stupid [TV/stereo/dogs barking/power saw/lawn mower/bathroom fan/vacuum cleaner/video game] OFF????"

I wish I could say that as a result of this little week-long episode I have adopted a zen like quietness as the norm in our house. That new receiver works too well and brings in too many tempting channels to remain turned off indefinitely. But I do find myself being more particular about what kinds of noise I surround myself with. Yes, I am becoming much more selective.

I think The Price Is Right brings some meaningful value to each day, don't you? Come On Down!!



Image of television above by miamiamia