Why The Smallest Sounds Should Get Your Attention

I was recently thinking about what I was going to talk about on these weekly blog posts.  That’s when it hit me, this idea of the smallest sound. Soon after, my routine included taking my dog to the woods to do her business.  I thought, "Okay, what's the smallest sound in this environment?"

Initially, I heard the obvious road noise.  Then I noticed the more pleasant but still quite “present” wind in the trees.  I resisted the urge to pull out my phone and browse Facebook so that I could keep listening.  

It was beginning to seem like a kind of meditation. Slowly a trickling sound wove it’s way into my awareness and I was reminded of a small stream several feet away...one I regularly walk past but give no attention.  

At this point my eyes locked onto a falling leaf as it traveled downward to the ground. And that’s when I heard it...a little tick. “Wow”, I said to myself. “I actually heard that leaf hit the ground." What does this have to do with real life?

Number one, it's certainly good for any of us to pause once in a while and enjoy the smaller sounds of our lives just to get more enjoyment out of life.

Number two, if you've ever worn hearing aids, or if you ever try new hearing aids, this process of “sound meditation” can be very helpful.  Paying attention and noticing the sounds around you, sometimes even the smallest ones, will help your brain figure out how to reorganize the sounds that it’s been missing or hearing differently.