Take a moment right now, wherever you are, to just stop. Stop what you're doing and listen.
What do you hear?
I hear distant chatter from the Chick-fil-a behind me, the quick clicking of my keys as I type, and the low drone of some sort of machine. I hear the indiscernible sounds of a video playing on someone's phone, and I hear the rustling of papers from the boy sitting across from me. I hear the heavy footsteps of a woman in heels passing by, and the clanking of the bracelets and bangles of another. It's music - the music of everyday life.
Merriam-Webster defines music as: "vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony." While, upon first listen, the noise of people living their lives doesn't appear to have rhythm or harmony, all of the noises exist in harmony. That's the harmony of everyday life. Each sound has a story: the chatter is home to numerous conversations about life, love, or anything under the sun; the machine is serving a function to keep the school alive and running well; the video is serving as entertainment for the masses in this age of technology. All of these sounds create music - the rhythm of everyday life.
What story do the sounds you create tell?
My typing tells that I'm a writer, and my constant sniffling indicates that I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I'm wearing a watch that constantly ticks, telling of my conscious nature and desire to always be prompt. I'm chewing gum, making a smack-smack sound, perhaps showing my desire for fresh breath. All of these simple sounds make up who I am, with each sound revealing a different part of my personality and being.
Perhaps your typing tells that you're a business person hard at work. Maybe you're an editor, a publisher, a manager, or a secretary. It's all a part of your story. Maybe you're a little stuffed up as well, and your breathing is audible. It's all a part of your story. Maybe you're reading a book, and the pages are turning at the speed of light, indicating your enthrallment in your literature. It's all a part of your story.
Everything, every object, and every action on earth has a sound, making up the music of the everyday. It's beautiful, really. All these sounds work together in harmony to create day-to-day life. Imagine a world without noise. Hard to picture, isn't it? Imagine no conversation, no music, no sound of cars passing by, and no doors squeaking. Life would be dull without sound. Unless you're hard-of-hearing, then you've been fed sounds since the moment you were conceived, which is kind of crazy to think about. Imagine all the music you've heard in your life, not the songs on the radio, but the harmony of the everyday. From the moment you entered this world, you've been hearing the music that none of us stop to think about.
Take a moment each day, wherever you are, to stop and listen to the music. Maybe it's the early morning chirp of birds and rustle of leaves as the world wakes up. Maybe it's the children at the park and the sounds of bustling restaurants at midday. Maybe it's the creatures in the dark and the distant sound of a lonely car late at night.
Whatever it is, and wherever you are, listen. Music is everywhere.
