It dawned on me recently that even when it is quiet and all is serene, it has been many years since I have heard the sound of silence.
I suffer from constant pulsatile tinnitus. Most of the time, the noise of the day drowns it out, and sometimes I must ask people to speak a touch more loudly especially if they have a high-pitched voice. But when it is quiet, like in the middle of the night, I hear a loud cacophony in my right ear. I've described it as a combination of cicadas and peeper frogs. The cicadas have a buzzing sound (they are flies, after all), and the frogs, well, best to show you (have the sound on..)
I told you it was loud.... For this reason, I have a white-noise maker in the bedroom to keep the tinnitus from driving me crazy in the middle of the night.
Anyway, I guess I was thinking about this because a friend of mine has lost her sense of smell and it affects her enjoyment of not only the taste of food but the pleasure of preparing it for people. She told me that you never really appreciate something until after it's gone. And it's true. We tend to take these seemingly small things for granted. Gratitude is something we need to cultivate; it doesn't come naturally.
So I have a challenge for myself - and for you, if you would like. It's something I heard about a long time ago and I thought was nuts!! Now - I'm not so sure. Every day for the next two weeks, think about and say out loud to yourself, to God or to a friend (and all three if you can manage it) ten things for which you are truly grateful, which you would miss if they were suddenly absent from your life. They can be things, people, whatever. Try to make at least some of them different each day. See if it makes a difference in your daily life, in your attitudes toward others, your work, your play, your family and/or your friends.
I'm willing to try it; are you?
I suffer from constant pulsatile tinnitus. Most of the time, the noise of the day drowns it out, and sometimes I must ask people to speak a touch more loudly especially if they have a high-pitched voice. But when it is quiet, like in the middle of the night, I hear a loud cacophony in my right ear. I've described it as a combination of cicadas and peeper frogs. The cicadas have a buzzing sound (they are flies, after all), and the frogs, well, best to show you (have the sound on..)
I told you it was loud.... For this reason, I have a white-noise maker in the bedroom to keep the tinnitus from driving me crazy in the middle of the night.
Anyway, I guess I was thinking about this because a friend of mine has lost her sense of smell and it affects her enjoyment of not only the taste of food but the pleasure of preparing it for people. She told me that you never really appreciate something until after it's gone. And it's true. We tend to take these seemingly small things for granted. Gratitude is something we need to cultivate; it doesn't come naturally.
So I have a challenge for myself - and for you, if you would like. It's something I heard about a long time ago and I thought was nuts!! Now - I'm not so sure. Every day for the next two weeks, think about and say out loud to yourself, to God or to a friend (and all three if you can manage it) ten things for which you are truly grateful, which you would miss if they were suddenly absent from your life. They can be things, people, whatever. Try to make at least some of them different each day. See if it makes a difference in your daily life, in your attitudes toward others, your work, your play, your family and/or your friends.
I'm willing to try it; are you?
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