8. Noise

Cristopher playing trumpet at age two.

(Noun). A sound that causes disturbance.
(Noun).  Anything superflurous that reduces clarity of communication.

[Written in early December] In those few brief moments when I hear kids awaken, usually by a brother waking the other one, before my eyes must open and my feet must hit the floor, there are usually quite a few sounds at my house. Some are welcome: the sounds of brothers giggling their secrets together, a sweet baby saying Da, a heater in a toasty house; but others are just noisy incessant interruptions. As I linger, hugging the husband, the baby has found the dancing chicken, (actually called "Choke the Chicken") and it brock-brock-brocks with outrageous abandon. Yet another overly stimulating toy gifted to us. Shut up already.

The microwave starts to ding incessantly. Are you ready to eat yet? Now? How 'bout now? The dishwasher buzzes and the washing machine drum pounds. Somebody's phone starts chiming the alarm that we didn't make it to followed by the pings of incoming status updates. Messages from yesterday's answering machine stream in. Then the commercials start in. Mom, we really must go to Stuffmart. There are 7 new shows that I am going to die if I do not see. I must watch the commercials because they are cool. Can I pl-uh-ease have those shoes that flop like monster mouths? 

Somebody's robot has a broken leg and is stuck in spin cycle; a last ditch dance before the landfill. A firetruck toy, rivaling decibels of real trucks shrieks under my feet.  Dolls that flatter themselves, toys that play themselves, games that illuminate the correct answers that we don't allow kids to figure out themselves, jingles of the same four words off key and ad naseum...Enough! (This is why I felt like I had to simplify Christmas. To see how check out this post on my other blog).

And so it goes. All day long.                 
My head hurts, and I contemplate (briefly) whether vodka and aspirin might make an appropriate post holiday breakfast drink.  

How did we get here? Where is our focus? How can we cultivate reverence (during and after the holidays)?

Do you find it harder or easier to cultivate stillness and reverence before or after the holiday season?