A Soft Hum

You know why I love the mountains? 
Because they are quiet. 
Do you know why I love the beach in the morning hours? 
Because it is quiet.

This world is so loud. I've learned to let it just be noise, to be background. Unexpected noises make me jump. I hate using or hearing car horns. I avoid it at all costs. And press lightly when I feel I have to. Timid. Because I don't want to startle others... or myself, really. But the point is to be startled into action.

Growing up in a small house I tiptoed around. Not wanting to break the balance. And it wasn't to scare or creep up on unsuspecting siblings. It was only to avoid breaking the background hum. I became a master at the art of slipping around with minimal noise. I learned all the unique door squeaks and the person walks on the floor. Mind you, most of the time this was carpeted floor. I was that detailed in my trained hearing. 

I often notice the air conditioning switching on at work. I take note when the music changes at a coffeeshop. This morning, I heard the rain falling before seeing the splattered raindrops on the windshield.

I become in tune when the world has a soft hum. 

*written while construction rages at the office*

Talking {Coffee} Shop

We all know my love of coffee shops.  Here is a few things happening in and around the coffee shop before I head of to work...

Hearing Conversations About:

The free cup of coffee when buying  a bag of beans and the amount of people who don't redeem it

An older woman who doesn't have her usual seat, "It's such a busy morning..."

A group from the company down the street on the different type of men's v-neck t-shirts

"I don't remember what I did last week, soccer?  Yes, it was soccer non-stop..."

Camp Galileo and the cool {overwhelmingly so} science projects

Cranberry scones and "Are you allergic to almonds?"

House blend, they have to brew a new pot

Laughs

Pinching children's cheeks, they are just so dang adorable!

Business deals

Weekend plans

Seeing:

Empty cups

Red walls

Breakfast scattered tables

Business clothes

Casual clothes

Bright bags

Pouring liquids

Computers

Specially brewed coffee

Brown coffee bags

It is a busy day!  Happy Friday!

If I had One Wish...

If I had one wish to make, this is the wish I would choose, I’d want an old straw hat, a pair overalls, and a worn out pair of shoes…

Ok, so we can nix the shoes and just go barefoot.

This is the song sung by sweet Shirley Temple in the movie Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. I’m a big Shirley Temple fan, and yes I even dressed up as her for Halloween one year. I have a habit of dressing up like historical figures or in historical costumes for Halloween. {A different story for a different time.}

I sing this song in my head, it's a great tune to whistle, and I forget all the other words.
If I had one wish…

I’m not much of a wisher. I mean I say the phrase like most people do, but I don’t put my hope in wishes. I put my hope in other things. I would say that I am a dreamer and I love to use my imagination, but I don’t put my hope in my dreams.

These days I’m looking for simple. When I left the house I forgot something, went all the way home to go get it, only to leave yet another important object for my day at home. Flustered. Frustrated. Overwhelmed. These characterize my life at this point.

I long for summer nights of starry skies and fire pits. I long for vegetable gardens and backyard bbqs. I long for berry picking and jamming. I long for Italy and using olive oil for everything. I long for the smell of sweet honey and the sound of people laughing in good company.

A friend of mine and I went off in a frenzy as we gushed over the simple life, gardens and fresh produce, coffee, and dreams. I couldn’t be logical when my head was spinning and my mind racing, to these big plans of simple.

This last year I entered into the knowledge of the people that grow the foods I eat, that milk the cows, and produce the butter I delight in.  Today I walked through the crops unit and saw the calves at the dairy.  Longing for simple life.

Tuning and Pruning

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been thinking about tuning and pruning lately.  It’s the perfect season right now.  Spring is coming out in beautiful flowers, longer days, and peaceful sunsets.  And time is slipping and swishing past.

But the reason I’ve been thinking about tuning is for my love of music.  I was thinking about how I regret in some ways not pushing myself more to learn an instrument when I was young.  I think I was fearful of the time and commitment that it would take to practice.  I was fearful of failing expectations.

And now I sit in the coffee house just off campus.  There are so many things that are buzzing about this place, but the one that stands out is the man tuning the piano.  It’s the most atrocious sound.  It goes above all the other noises, above the people talking, and the typing, and paper crinkling. 

It stands out. 

It’s different and unusual, but that’s not why it stands out.  It stands out because it sounds awful.  It takes time hitting the keys and hearing horrible noises to make the piano just right.  And in the same way the tuning in our lives is accomplished.  It takes time to be refined, tuned, and form new habits.  It takes time to deal with the problems and the issues. 

Every so often we need to be tuned and it is a process.  Its takes work and it can be awful.  We want to run away from the pain that we hear or feel or that is a part of the process.  But there is hope.

In the end, after the tuning, the piano makes beautiful music.  The sound that was once horrible is one that draws people in.  From the broken and messiness comes the beautiful.  The process makes the end note that much sweeter.  Refining in the tuning and pruning becomes beautiful.

 

 

 

 

A Reason to Dance {Pep Talk}

A sweet woman posted this on her blog today for a little extra encouragement.  Kara has been fighting cancer and she is sharing her journey on her blog and helping to share others' stories as well.  It made me smile and reminds us " you were made to be awesome" and that there is "a reason to dance."

 

Enjoy:

 

Sweet On You {Stuck in My Head}

I have had this song stuck in my head all day. 

I like it.  I hope you do too.

 

Sweet On You

Beth Whitney

Headphones {listening}

I am not a headphone wearer. I like enjoying others music and don’t like being unreachable. I hate when I talk to someone and then realize they didn’t hear a thing I said...because their headphones were in. I would rather get to enjoy the music throughout the room then blasting my music into my lone ears.
While I was studying the other day {and no, I shouldn’t even being blogging because it’s crazy being back, in the states, in college, with my life}. I felt like my headphones had to compete with the noise. I was in the non quiet part of the library. I don’t know why I thought the library would be a good place to study. Every time I would turn up the music to help me focus, the noise level of the library would rise. Me not liking headphones is rooted in the fact that they make my ears and head and jaw sore or hurt {especially in the case that I listen for more than 20 minutes}. Let’s just say the focus issue wasn’t being fixed or helped by trying to block out the noise. I ended up with wandering thoughts, lack of study focus and the beginnings of a headache.
I find that headphones distance me from others and have unwanted side effects {see above headaches and overall frustration}. I feel like my generation does not listen well. I see it in the class room and in broken relationships. I hear others talk about how they don’t know how to listen and hear God. And while those may seem unrelated, I see the correlation. If you can’t listen in a broken, human relationship, how are you going to listen in the most important relationship?
I love this song, but maybe it’s because it’s a comfort tool after distance has already happened. I believe that God speaks to us and we just have to listen and focus on him. He has a message for us. All the other noise will fall away if we are solely focused on him. Too bad the same thing doesn’t happen when we focus on homework or studying!

Headphones