Apparently I went from 35-85 over the last couple of years and skipped about 50 years of gradual. The world seems excruciatingly loud.
A few ventures into stores to do holiday shopping convinced me that I was losing my mind or had stumbled into a rock concert disguised as Old Navy.
I craved quiet and still like a pregnant woman craves gas station hot dogs. {Tell me I wasn’t the only one.}
This is odd to me because I could have spent every moment of every day at the mall when I was a teenager. And during my college years, the loudness of dorm life and student center hubbub was absolutely delightful.
My most frequent utterances these days are:
Be quiet!
Turn it down!
Where is all of this noise coming from?
I can’t even hear myself think.
One person talking at a time, please.
I am in serious need of a noise sabbatical. A noiseattical?
Becoming a nun sounds positively dreamy. I wear a lot of black anyway so it could work.
I’m not sure how I got to 85 so quickly and without warning but I’d like to know why and more importantly, what can I do? Perhaps it’s the constant commotion and chatter and frequent bickering of young children in the house. There is indeed a lot of sound that comes along with little ones. For someone who has become more introvert-ish over the years, I suppose the constancy of it all has worn my nerves down to nothing.
There is no point to this post, except to ask if any of you feel like an 80-year-old trapped in a much younger body.
Please tell me I’m not alone in my crazy. And for those of you who homeschool, where do you go for quiet? And wherever it is, can I come with you? I only have unfinished attic space and it is cold up there.
{If you’re wondering why someone with an aversion to noise would buy a guitar with an electric “whammy bar” for a 3-year-old’s birthday, rest assured that I did not. That’s a gift only grandparents would give.}
Anonymous says
No you are not alone!! It’s like on “date night” where tina fey dreams about renting a hotel room alone to be alone to drink a diet sprite. All of us want quiet and then when we get it, it feels wierd/unnatural and we don’t know what to do. ๐ Isn’t that wierd?
hope you can find a quiet place to hide. I just go to sleep or hide in the attic with my heater too ๐ other than that, I got nothing.
Amy smith
Gina says
oh, I’m prematurely 80 too! It is always so loud around here. I’ve tried hiding in the bathroom, but they pound on the door. I’ve hid in the pantry but they caught me when I was rustling the potato chip bag. I’ve put my apron over my head and demanded all people under 4 feet leave the room. None of this seems to work, how about a nice long (quiet) run? ๐
Anonymous says
The noise, the noise!! I can so relate. I so hope you can finish your bonus room and get some quiet. I only remain sane bc we have a finished basement full of toys. That helps a ton!
Michelle
adornedlife says
I have a magnet on the fridge that says “I childproofed my house, but they still get in.” 110% relate on the noise aversion. i crave the quiet, the still. it will come in about 14 years…Then what will i do??! For now, I’ve returned to sleep-deprivation – staying up late and getting up early to enjoy some calm. This post made me smile.
MOM says
Oh, dear one. Just make it through these next 18 years or so. It will then be quiet . . . and you’ll feel like a 37-year-old trapped in a 55 -year-old body (or in my case, a 64-year-old body!) Life is funny that way!
BTW . . . that 3-year-old would have been devastated if that guitar had not been placed in his hands on his birthday evening. He had 100% confidence that it was coming.
Here’s to your completed bonus room . . . sooner rather than later!
LYF.
amandatdodson says
This made me giggle – oh, the noise! I remember cranking up the radio all those years ago, the louder the better. Now I crave those rare quiet moments. But we’ll probably miss it all one day. ๐
julie says
Oh girl when I saw that sweet thing with that guitar I thought now THAT needs to be at DeDe’s house. What a novel thought, you think?
I crave quiet as you do. Noise drives me crazy and with three boys it feels like it’s never-ending when you add baby girl into the equation.
The only quiet I get is when Rocketman comes home and he can see the “deadpan” stare I have as I sneak off to my room and lock the door. Headphones are my best friend right now.
But I remember the days with one the age of that precious guitar man and know I can’t turn my back unless another adult (or a statue that looks like one) is present. And with the hours you are on call I think maybe having 30 minutes of everyone in their rooms so you can sip afternoon coffee might be a starter.
After all, what could HE possibly tear up in 30 minutes except the entire bedroom.
Do I hear DORA????
I love you dearly,
Julie
http://www.raisingthreeknightsandaprincess.com
Kristin says
what is it that makes us turn into our parents?! i can remember my parents yelling to turn that stuff down!…and now, here i am thinking the same thing. you are not alone my friend! : )