Please turn that noise off !!

The Merriam Webster dictionary has three simple definitions for the word Noise.

1. A loud or unpleasant sound.
2. A sound that someone or something makes.
3. Unwanted electronic signals that harm the quality of something (such as a radio, or television broadcast or a digital photograph).

When you read the full definition of the word noise the Merriam Webster dictionary emphasises noise as being unpleasant and unwanted.

Normally we don’t pay much attention to sounds. Turn a sound into something unpleasant or loud however, will guarantee a response.  Noise can be a huge distraction as much as it can send our imagination wild.

An imagination gone wild moment comes to mind for my sister and me. One day we had decided that we would sleep under a cubby house that we had built. The cubby house was a single bed with a mattress. We covered it over with bed sheets and slide under the bed. There was not much room to move around as you can imagine and instead of looking up to see stars we saw metal springs from the bed frame. These metal springs were very close to us. Our determination and excitement kept us under that small space until we actually fell asleep. All of a sudden we woke up to noise that was coming from the front porch located right next to the bedroom window. The first thought was that a burglar was trying to get in. All I can remember was a sudden surge of panic under that bed! In our distress we got our mums attention and our hair stuck in the springs. Our mum walked in on our dilemma after hearing a lot of noise and asked what was going on? After telling her what we heard she went on to say it was just the weekly soft drink delivery.  We immediately relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the day. Noise has a way of telling a story when we are not expecting it to turn up especially at night in the dark.

How about those precious moments when you need total quietness and suddenly a loud noise interrupts everything you are doing? All you can think about is the noise. That happened to me last year as I was studying for an exam. With a house full of adult children and an eight year old it is not easy to find places that are quiet at home. On that particular morning I had tried every room with an effort to find a quite space. So I caved in and went upstairs to our bedroom which I usually avoid in summer as it gets too hot. However I was desperate to get more study done. I am not kidding as soon as I put all my equipment down on the floor and began reading notes a massive noise started outside my window. That usually NEVER happens! Why now I thought? It was impossible to study quietly when all I could hear was the sounds of machinery cutting down big trees over the road.

Noise can be very disruptive. How about the noise we have in our thoughts on certain days or in certain situations? It is interesting to note that the third definition for noise is: Unwanted electronic signals that harm the quality of something. When I was younger I had too many of those unwanted signals going on in my thought life. There is nothing more frustrating than having a desire to do something with your life and all you get are distractions! Harmful signals that keep coming into your thoughts causing interference. As a young person I considered those thoughts normal. They became so familiar to me that I really didn’t know any different. Yet they were very disruptive in every single area of my life. These thoughts were attached to something deeper. Once I began dealing with hurtful situations the less frequent they became. That has allowed me to have more quality in my life and my relationships. Hurtful situations can happen anytime. I find that even after all these years of resolving issues new ones turn up. I then have a choice whether I want to deal with them or ignore them. While it is important to deal with past hurts we must not forget to deal with current ones. Hurts turn into noise which become both distracting and interfering. Let’s do a heart tune up and get a pleasant sound happening once again.