Birdsong

I’ve noticed that my relationship with noise has changed.

One of the most beautiful benefits has been how I now enjoy listening to birdsong. I notice it every day because I can’t seem to filter out background noise. I now know the places in my local parks where the birdsong is most prolific and I sometimes sit on a bench and just listen to their chatter. It’s fun, amusing, mysterious and beautiful.

We live in London, so man-made noise is almost impossible to escape. The planes overhead, whilst high up, come past every few minutes, and I notice them far more than I used to. Beyond the end of our garden is a railway line that runs into London Bridge and whilst it’s always been noisy, I now find that it crowds out my brain for the few seconds when a train goes past and it just feels like they’ve got louder and more overpowering. Building works, roadside pneumatic drills, motorbikes and sirens have me covering my ears and closing my eyes like a child, running past if that makes it go quicker. Indoors even the clatter of cutlery or roasting trays, kitchen beeps, irritating electronic noises and the TV seem to grate and drain me of energy. Well, the TV has always done that to be fair.

I’m starting to manage going to cafes and restaurants and most recently lasted an epic two hours, I think partly thanks to my new Loop ‘Engage’ earplugs. I was sceptical, but they seem to enable conversation and stop the echo of my voice in my head, whilst fading out the background noise. I’ll keep using these for as long as I need to if it buys me more time in noisy spaces where I still want to be able to engage in conversation. I’ve been to a few performances and events, fully ear plugged in defense against the brain battering applause, but I found even classical music being played gently can be heard through fully silicone earplugs. It’s just annoying hearing your own breathing in your head!

I guess I’m learning that our brains have to process a whole load of constant noise and sights and smells so it must all be a lot to take in one go. I’m hoping that over time the planes, trains and automobiles will fade into the background, but the bird song will remain.