Silence and fear versus Noise and fear
Created | Updated Aug 20, 2004
Silence and fear versus Noise and fear
When Shnooks was a baby, we lived very close to an airport.
She could sleep through the plane noise, but when there was no plane noise,
she had to settle for the noise from the nearby busy multi-lane street.
When there was no noise from either source, then she would wake up, startled.
I can understand this.
When there is noise around, I can stand it or not stand it,
depending upon the intensity and volume.
When there is no noise, beyond the usual background buzz
that my hearing picks up constantly, then
I sit in fear and anxiety of the next sudden noise,
like something falling or being slammed, or
the phone ringing, the doorbell dinging,
the dogs barking,
or simply the refrigerator kicking on.
Too much noise of the wrong kind can keep me on edge.
Too sudden a noise of the right kind can give me heart palpitations.
Waiting for either to occur, because I know they will,
just wait and see, keeps me on the edge of wetting my pants
or hyperventilating.
Knowing my luck, if I were deaf, I'd be jumping at vibrations!
