Comforting Sounds

In an attempt to write an entry for Listverse (www.listverse.com) , I wrote the following. Oh, I did not submit the entry as I deemed it to be inappropriate for the intended audience.

For some people a comforting sound consists of the purr of a Jaguar as it roars into life, and for others it is the purr of a new-born jaguar in the wild. Some people find comfort in the clackety-clack of a train on the track (oh, I know, I know – such a cliché) and others in the squeak of rusty playground equipment being drowned by the bestial thunder of the bulldozer.

It would be oh so simple to compile a list of clichéd sounds; you know those which go “the sound of a new-born baby” or “the pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof” or “the thump of your own heart”. But those sounds are not the one I find to be worth repeating. So, here is my take on comforting sounds.

The first time a child falls after just learning to walk, he makes a curious sound – something between a cry and laughter as he cannot quite understand what had just happened. Does it hurt or does he feel a strange joy after discovering a new skill? That is a unique vocal and very human sound and I challenge anyone to even try and imitate it.

As parents one are always apprehensive when their teenage daughter goes on her first un-chaperoned date. Even though they pretend to be cool about it, the wait in the bedroom for your daughter’s return is excruciating and absolutely void of any thoughts of lying down to sleep. Then there is that sound of the front door opening, closing and her footsteps up the staircase, and that special sound of feet on the stairs ringing of confidence and trust as if saying “I told you I would be OK”.

I simply love and find so much comfort in the sounds of breakfast. It is as if every little note creates a symphony of anticipation – the soft tinkle of the crockery and cutlery as the table is being set; the impatient bubble and murmur of the coffee machine and the juicy sizzling of frying eggs and bacon all blend to make a comforting masterful explosion of coordinated and comforting sound.

After 40plus years of wedded bliss in a union with an understanding partner, the most comforting sound I hear in the night is the light snore of my companion, a sound which tells so much but mostly says “I am breathing and alive” and then I know I can sleep easily.

In this country we have, especially in summer, massive thunderstorms when rain tries to drive right through the windows, tree branches groan and moan and then creakingly submit to the might of the wind and thunder and lightning seems to herald the dawning of Armageddon, when suddenly it is all over and so silent, that one can hear the last raindrop on the corrugated iron roof. This is when you hear the hesitant and worryingly cheep of a bird frantically looking for its mate. And when the mate replies and the pair burst out in a joyful reunion of chirrups, that is a comforting sound, saying all is well in the world.

Willie
September 2013