The Silence of Noise

The pounding of hammers inside, the rumble of the bulldozer outside, you could say it wasn’t the best atmosphere to try and conduct work. But I found myself tapping my foot to the time of the hammer. The rhythm of all the work around me was making a symphony of white noise. I was actually finding myself enjoying it. I felt insulated. I could feel the beat that it was making.

Our office is in the middle of a remodel and we are in the midst of all the construction trying to conduct business. Maybe it was my upbringing of being around construction and construction workers as a girl. Maybe it was my parents always telling us and showing us to make the best of situation, but the noise wasn’t bothering me. Maybe it’s all the yoga and inner reflection I’ve been experiencing over the last six months. Maybe it’s the fact that one of the offices they are working on is going to be my new space and not everyone is getting a new space.

It’s interesting to watch my co-workers reactions to handling the noise, the dust and the chaos. You can almost see into their minds by the way they handle it. Some go inward, put their headphones on and carry on. Others have to find ways to get out of the office to conduct their work. Some get angry, sarcastic or even sick. Some are completely oblivious.

I watched a program the other day about a rock star that is trying to find new rhythms by traveling the world and seeking other cultures, new adventures. He was delving deep into himself to discover what kind of direction his music might take next. What does it sound like in another country? The music, the food, the occupations, the people, the landscape all have their own sounds. Maybe that’s what I’m experiencing with these foreign sounds in my office. It’s different, a new beat, the fresh smell of cut wood. The sounds of heavy equipment, the buzz of a saw, the hammer connecting the wood to the building making something new. For me it has helped reach inside myself, it becomes a white noise, a type of meditative silence helping me to concentrate. I actually think I’ve accomplished more during this remodel as I’ve had to adapt and change the way I’ve always done things.

Change is always hard, for some much harder. Change can be compared to the death of something. You mourn for the loss, but if you choose to look at it in a positive light and of new opportunities you might just be able to look deeper into yourself and open new paths. Out of chaos, creativity explodes.