Last week I enjoyed a fun evening with a group of friends. Part of the evening involved going to see and hear one of my favorite, on-the-cusp-of-being-discovered bands, and my supportive friends were happy to accompany me to determine whether or not they liked the sound of this relatively new group as much as I did.

We had a great time – don’t get me wrong – I believe (as the old saying goes), fun was had by all.

As the band began to play, they pretty much looked just like they do in their CD photo and the online video I’ve watched a couple of times. I recognized them and where they stood on stage and the instruments each one played – that all seemed familiar. Yet it wasn’t quite the experience I had envisioned.

The venue was not ideal. It wasn’t designed for music or acoustics and the environment seemed somewhat forced.  Have you ever walked into a restaurant where the atmosphere seems forced? It’s as if the message they convey is…‘if the music is loud, it must mean you are having fun’. I have never really bought into that line of thinking. For me, frenzy does not always equate to fun.

The band played and we listened to the entire performance; we were entertained by their talent and we enjoyed ourselves, yet I was aware that the music was loud as if it had to compete to be heard.

Days later talking with a friend after knocking the fuzz off a can of tennis balls for an hour or so, the thought occurred to me that the concert scenario was not so far removed from our everyday lives. As my hitting partner and I talked about our lives and how to wade through decisions and changes I heard myself posing the question,
            “are you listening to the music or are you distracted by the sound of the noise?”.

The conversation with my tennis partner wasn’t about music, it was a conversation about knowing what to do and when to do it, when to make changes in one’s life, when to take risks and when to fully believe that regardless of age, circumstance or history, that things will manifest and present itself according to plan. And, we also understand that sometimes we must take a leap without seeing the safety net but to trust in its presence just the same. Not easy stuff, particularly not as adults.

As we discussed how to recognize those telltale signs in our lives, the memory of the earlier concert experience surfaced in my mind. That concert was performed by talented musicians yet for the better part of the show, the audience could not quite appreciate the combined acoustical and vocalization talent because the noise of the amplifiers overpowered the talent. The noise overpowered the music. And in that instant, talking with my friend as we recovered from a heavy hitting session on the tennis courts, I openly posed the question to us both…‘are we listening to the music or are we distracted by the sound of the noise’?  Our life creates it’s own soundtrack and its music has lyrics which guide and lead us all the while the noise is there to distract us from fully tuning into what we really ought to hear.

My friends and I enjoyed the concert last week. As I left the venue I was aware that it had not lived up to my preconceived notions, yet it was enjoyable and I was glad I attended. Only later, on a tennis court a proverbial 100 miles away did I recognize the similarity to that concert with our life choices: the beautiful music was overpowered by the noise at the concert just as the beautiful music we often miss in our lives due to all the distractions. Music, with its meaningful, thought-provoking lyrics is there for us to hear; it is our job to tune into the music and learn to distract ourselves from the sound of the noise. The noise isn’t particularly enjoyable at a concert nor is it helpful in our lives.

We will do well if we can listen to the music and tune out the noise.
The tricky part is learning to distinguish the music from the noise and owning the ability to recognize what we really ought to hear.

Are you listening to the music or are you distracted by the sound of the noise?

Thanks for reading,
~ Haven