The inspiration for today’s post came from a longing for some peace and quiet. I desperately needed a respite from the constant barrage of noise pollution! Office phones ringing off the wall and cell phone ringtones that sound like slot machines paying off at Harrah’s Casino, are the everyday backdrop to my day job on the trading floor.
We literally have to yell across the room to get any Trader’s attention to bid/offer and confirm trades. There is a television hanging in every corner of the room, tuned to CNN. We have to stay abreast of the latest news and market conditions around the world, so we get that added “white noise” as background vocals.
On this particular day, I know I had read the same paragraph from a top news story, at least three times and I still couldn’t tell you what I had read! My minds antennae were picking up signals all around me and landed on this conversation:(names have been changed to protect the innocent.)
“Scotty, why do you have to be so snarky?” Morgan retorted, after one of his sarcastic responses to her request for yet another bid.
Scotty pipes up, “Snarky…is that even a word?” “What does it mean anyway?” (This coming from the trader who knows everything about everything…except how to use the proper tense of a verb and the meaning of the word “snarky”!)
Morgan proceeds to stand up and read the definition out loud.
“Snarky: (Of a person, word or mood, sharply critical, sarcastic, cutting, snide.)”
The entire trading floor erupted in laughter! It was yet another classic moment that would be recalled for years to come! The new word of the day on the trading floor is now…”snarky”!
But honestly, some days you really can’t hear yourself think! The distractions can be extremely annoying and they often leave me anxious for some peace and quiet. Calgon take me away!
My husband, Lee, and I both have stressful jobs and we enjoy our down-time at our Pickwick Lake-house. However, we both decompress much differently! I was looking forward to a weekend of peace and calm and a chance to do some writing. (Being near the water always speaks to my creative spirit!)
However, as soon as we got to the house on Friday night, my darling husband, had another agenda. He turned on the stereo full blast to the local Q102 radio station’s “Funk-A-Delic Friday”… showcasing Funk Music Artist’s from the 1970’s!
Normally I like it, after all it is the music we grew up on and it was the beginning of the weekend! But on this particular night, I can’t describe how annoying it was for me! My mind and my heart were racing…to the beat of “Super Freak” by Rick James! Instead of dancing and joining the party atmosphere, I desperately wanted to TURN IT OFF! Have I finally turned into a parent?
I longed to enjoy the peace and quiet; especially knowing that Saturday would be filled with more noise pollution, littering the airwaves from power-boat motors and thunderous, stereo systems… not to mention the local band that was scheduled to play later Saturday night at the Bar & Grill near our house!
I took a few deep breaths, sighed, and decided to just grin and bear it! When the day was done and we finally turned out the lights… no sooner than his head hit the pillow, Lee began to SNORE!
“Dear God in Heaven, Please Help Me!” I prayed, as I ran for cover (and a pillow) toward the peace and quiet of the guest bedroom down the hall.
I managed to enjoy the weekend despite my longing for quiet time. Lee and I discussed it later and decided we needed to give each other a heads-up, as to our weekend expectations and we agreed to work together to make it happen going forward.
Have you ever felt this way? Sometimes you just want the world to stop so you can get off! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.
The poem below was born from all that noise pollution! Even though it was loud… it was inspiring!
I long for silence
To get her turn to speak
For the world to shut up
Mindless chatter to cease
I long to hear
What silence thinks
If we would just be quiet and
Listen
Would her voice
Sound like a trickling brook
Or the soft rustling
Of the leaves in the wind
Would she sign with her hands
Or…break her own silence
So we might recognize her voice
Now and again
If the world
Would just stop
If all noise would cease
We might get to hear the sound of silence…speak
There is a wealth of serenity
In what she can convey
If we listen closely
We might hear her say
“Anxious thoughts will disappear…when you take time to breath”
From frantic
Frenzied lifestyles
She offers you
Reprieve
Sit quietly beside still waters
Let nothing come to mind
Experience the inner calm she brings
Leave this fallen world behind
The sound of silence can be…deafening
And you can bet she will be proving
But you will never, ever hear her
If your lips are always moving