Appreciation of Quietness

I finished my second book for From Left to Write!  The Art of Hearing Heartbeats really made me think about how much I value and appreciate quiet now that I have kids of my own.  Early in my days of working as a Nanny I ALWAYS had music on in the background.  I enjoyed the beats and rhythms and believed it was good for the kids to hear.  That whole subconscious learning thing, right?  That has really changed now that I live with noise from children nearly 24/7.  There are still days when I enjoy having background noise from music, but more often than not I really just want pure quiet when there are no kids around to make noise.

Feeling that way I can't imagine what it would be like to depend so highly on my hearing for everyday living.  Tin Win lost his sight as a child and then had to depend on his sense of hearing (and touch) to navigate the world around him.  We are talking super sensitive hearing here.  He can tell who is entering a room based on their heartbeat or the sound of their steps.  He even hears insects.  Yuck!  I don't think I could handle all that.  I really don't need to hear a spider spinning up it's dinner, do you?  Now don't get me wrong, I DO appreciate that I can hear.  I can't imagine not hearing my children's voices or a favorite song on the radio.  I just don't want it to go any further than that.

I think this book gave me a new appreciation for both my sense of hearing and sight.  My eyes allow me to see the world around me, especially my husband and children, and my ears let me enjoy the sounds of my kids singing and chattering away.  I would be completely lost without such things in my life.



When Julia travels to Burma to search for her missing lawyer father, she discovers much more than she expected. Join From Left to Write on February 1 as we discuss The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker. As a member of From Left to Write, I received a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.