Listen.

Sound.

The roar of cars passing in the night.

The boom of the next door neighbor barking.

The clatter of a bustling coffee shop in the morning.

Sound is all around us but there are very few moments where we sit and listen. We become easily annoyed by the crying child in the movie theater or the student tapping their pencil on the desk during a final exam. What we don't realize is that those sounds that may bother us at times are part of the soundtrack of our world. The small sounds (and the large ones) help create the sweet cacophony of varying noises. 

Sound affects our souls. Whether it's hearing the roaring cry of a mother who has lost her daughter too soon or the thunder of applause after a tough and trying performance, we are affected. Each instance of our lives is filled with sounds that contort our view of the situation and cause us to feel a certain way. We hear and we feel; it's human nature and though it may hurt at times to feel those emotions, it's one of the most precious gifts that we have. To hear and to understand. 

Sound is within every part of our lives. There is no way to deny this. But embracing this is how I try to live my life. I know that sound is there and that will never change. As a music major, I have been learning the ability to consciously listen and understand. Before I started truly studying music, the hum of the earth never really seemed to phase me. But now, sitting on my front steps and just listening is a new experience. Once you sit and listen, you hear things you've never heard before. You may think I sound sort of crazy and though that might be true, I invite you to try it sometime. Put your phone away or any distraction and just listen. You will be amazed at the beauty that you will find in doing such a simple act. For me, silence does not exist. My brain runs at 847501984705 miles per minute due to my anxiety. But when I sit and listen that is the moment when I realize when the sounds around me calm my soul and boost my spirits because that is when I realize I am one of the incomprehensible number of sounds in the world. I am part of the world's soundtrack and somehow, that makes me feel like I can do anything because I know I'm not alone. 

This blog will probably be a plethora of random shenanigans and rants from my life but I hope to address it in the perspective of sound and that even though the sound around us affects us, it's how we respond that truly matters. So, I apologize in advanced for the rants that may not seem to flow well but in reality, who actually has a flow of thoughts that makes sense to anyone but ourselves.  So for now, remember to listen and find serenity in what you hear. More to come soon. xoxo.