A Joyful Noise

Summer is officially over.  (And I was up when it arrived this morning at 4:22 AM!) The mornings and evenings are getting cooler.  My windows are wide open throughout my house.  I love getting the fresh breezes flowing throughout the house (and have to admit I dread the thought of winter and shutting everything up again).  I also love the "joyful noises” of my town that open windows let in as well.

What joyful noises?  Living in a suburban community, there is plenty of noise.  There is traffic.  There are sirens.  There is construction.  The list could go on and on.  But it's nice to know that there is also joyful noise if we take the time to stop and listen to it.  The birds chirping, the insects buzzing; they are part of the joyful noise that can be found in our town.

For me, my favorite joyful noise is the shouts, squeals and even shrieks of the neighborhood children.  Maybe my little street is unique (I certainly hope it’s not), but the children on my block spend hours running around.  They are in and out of back yards.  They ride down the block on bikes.  They run back and forth, often shouting out gibberish that makes no sense to me, but obviously means something to them.

I've been told it's always been this way on my block.  I grew up here and remember playing hide and seek and kickball.  My mother grew up here and remembers sledding down the hill in our backyard.  The outdoor activities may have changed, but during the warmer months, the "block kids" still rule the neighborhood.  As the older ones grow up, younger ones take over.  That's the way it has been for decades and the way I hope it will be for years to come.

But that's not the only "man-made” joyful noise I hear.  When the wind is blowing in the right direction I can hear the cheers from the football/baseball field several blocks away.  It may be pee wee football or little league baseball; I'm not sure and it doesn't matter.  I just love to hear the cheers; knowing that parents, family and friends are rooting for their team.  I am not a big sports fan, but I love that there are so many safe places in my town where kids can play a variety of sports.  And where they can be cheered on and encouraged.

If the air is really right, I can sometimes here the high school marching band practicing, even though my house is nearly 2 miles away.  For me it brings back memories of when I was in the marching band. It's good to know that no matter how things in the world may change, the musical tradition continues on.

Living in suburbia means living with noise.  It's a part of life.  But we can choose to tune out the "junk" and let in the "joy."  So before the weather gets too cold and we are forced to close our homes up again, open your windows and let the joyful noise in.